


icy incandescence.

by xiiaeo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cute, M/M, Occasional, Smut, figure skating AU, gay seoksoon on ice, i actually have this one planned lads, its just soft, seoksoon, seoksoon centric, soft, soonseok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-03 16:52:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 77,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14000463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiiaeo/pseuds/xiiaeo
Summary: Soonyoung is a figure skating athlete with a burning desire to beat his rival at the upcoming Winter Olympics. Getting thrown off course by said rival's ridiculously attractive coach was not part of the game plan.





	1. Do You No Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> ☆ [Spotify playlist link](https://open.spotify.com/user/xiiaeo/playlist/389Kfrff7XN9q40r7wDcDV?si=3g0qL16kSQKbRi_zNXPI_w) ☆ this will be updated as chapters are added and the songs are in order of their corresponding chapter :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too impatient to wait to post this because I actually like a story of mine for once lmao
> 
> Story notes:  
> Using Vernon and Joshua because they US citizens and compete for USA  
> ALL COACHES ARE OLDER THAN THE SKATERS BY LIKE FIVE YEARS  
> Fast pace ;)
> 
> Do You No Wrong - Richie Campbell ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/6FInCuMbSlhdlkiFv36KUi?si=FtEl1oj6SCS6VMYkOF47vQ) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXjHY0kkQ6Y)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

“Again.”

 

Soonyoung slid back to his starting position, blades scratching sweetly in the ice, gained some momentum for a jump with four rotations and landed in the perfect position before looking back to Wonwoo.

 

“Again.”

 

Soonyoung did as told with a slight eye roll; same movements again, same complete rotations and same perfect landing.

 

“Again.”

 

This time, Soonyoung glided from his ending position over to the wall of the rink where Wonwoo stood looking rather bored, “What’s wrong with it? I’ve done it at least 7 times already and it’s  _perfect_.”

 

“It’s perfect  _technically,_ you’d get full technical score, but it’s missing  _something_.”

 

“What’s it missing?” Soonyoung groaned, leaning on the wall as if being closer to Wonwoo would allow him to absorb what his coach wanted.

 

“I don’t know just some,” he gestured around, “pizzaz? Some oomph, you know?”

 

“If I knew what you wanted I wouldn’t’ve had to do a quad seven damn times, my thighs are screaming.”

 

His coach completely ignored his complaint, “You’re too perfect and robotic, like you’ve been programmed to do it.”

 

“You want me to be not perfect?”

 

“No, I want you to put your soul into it and actually express something. You’re the loudest person I know but you take skating  _very_ seriously, which is good, but you need to tell a story or no one’s going to care to watch.”

 

Soonyoung’s shoulders sagged and he sighed, and he was about to speak before Wonwoo interrupted him, “See? You’re very expressive so just put that into your performance and it’ll be perfect.”

 

“It’s hard to think about ‘telling a story’ and ‘expressing yourself’ when you’ve got to have your hands and feet in the perfect position while you launch yourself into the air only to potentially break your ankles,” Soonyoung deadpanned.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “You’re lucky I’m your friend as well as your coach because most coaches wouldn’t put up with this attitude. This is your first time competing in the actual Olympics. Jeonghan’s gonna be there.”

 

At that final comment, Soonyoung’s gaze became determined. He pushed himself away from the wall and propelled himself into a quadruple loop followed by a triple loop. When he landed the triple, he locked his gaze onto Wonwoo who now looked rather pleased.

 

“If all I had to do to get you to show emotion was mention Jeonghan, I would’ve done it ages ago.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed as he made his way back to Wonwoo, “If you want everyone to think I’m angry all the time, then mention him all you want.”

 

“I won’t stop mentioning him till you beat his ass, and one of the next chances you have to do that will be at the Olympics,” Wonwoo’s phone rang abruptly and after glancing at the screen he groaned.

 

Soonyoung smiled teasingly, “Is it him again?”

 

“Who else would it be?” Wonwoo answered the call in an exasperated tone, “What do you want this time, Mingyu? You still haven’t told me who gave you my number.”

 

Soonyoung skated away, not having the desire to eavesdrop on the conversation since he’d get all the details from Wonwoo anyway in the form of never ending complaints. Soonyoung did lazy scratch spins across the ice while he envisioned himself beating Jeonghan in the Olympics and how glorious it would be to see the other’s face.

 

Most of their fans and the press saw him and Jeonghan as civil with each other, if not friends, considering the fact that they both compete for Korea together and will be competing in the men’s team skate at the upcoming Olympics - but they couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

Soonyoung never had any prejudice towards Jeonghan and only ever saw him as another person to compete with in the figure skating world, but he quickly learned that ‘competing’ with Jeonghan was a dangerous game. The first time he’d met the other he was filled with nothing but admiration for Jeonghan who already had several national titles under his belt, but by the end of that day he came to detest the other with a burning passion.

 

Yoon Jeonghan played dirty.

 

 _Very_ dirty.

 

Perhaps he saw it as a bit of fun, a way to ease off some built up tension before a competition, but to Soonyoung it was the most infuriating thing he’s ever been victim to. When they were competing at a relatively small competition a few years ago, during warm-up, Jeonghan thought it would be hilarious to remove some of the screws from one of Soonyoung’s skates; the extremely important screws that secure the blade to the bottom of the boot.

 

Needless to say, Soonyoung’s blade didn’t move properly when he moved his foot and he twisted his ankle before landing on his ass in the middle of the ice. Everyone in the stadium saw it, including the judges, and it was horribly demoralising for young Soonyoung. At the time he had thought that maybe the screws just fell out somehow, as he simply could not fathom the idea of a skater trying to sabotage another skater, especially for only an unofficial competition.

 

After the competition ended with Jeonghan finishing in first and Soonyoung coming at a distant fourth (which he blamed on having to use someone else’s skates,) Jeonghan bounced over to him and shook his hand, smiling for the cameras while whispering into his ear, “I’ve got your screws in my pocket, I’ll give them to you when the press leave.”

 

Since then Soonyoung has never trusted Jeonghan and never left his skates unattended. That wasn’t the only time Jeonghan had messed with him before a competition, but he’s never done it for the actual final performance so Soonyoung is glad he has at least a tiny sliver of morality left.

 

Wonwoo calling his name in a slightly agitated tone brought him out of his thoughts and he realised the other had probably been calling his name repeatedly, “What?”

 

“Mingyu called to say we have to meet for lunch.”

 

“Go and meet him then?” Soonyoung said with a raised eyebrow.

 

“No, both of us, we’re meeting as the Olympic team,” Wonwoo elaborated further after Soonyoung’s vacant starting, “Me, you, Jihoon, Mingyu, Jeongha--”

 

“No.”

 

“Look, you have to face him at some point before the Olympics.”

 

“No.”

 

“Soony--”

 

“No.”

 

“As your coach and manager, I’m telling you that you have to attend this meeting.”

 

“As my friend, you should be telling them to fuck off and think twice before I sit and have a dinner date with that asshole.”

 

Wonwoo just stared at him with an expectant expression. Soonyoung sulked and slid over, stepping out of the rink before putting the guards on his blades and stomping over to the locker room. Once he got there he plonked down onto the wooden bench and removed his skates carefully, placed them into their carry bag with attentive hands and lowered them into the locker gently. He then yanked some comfy trainers out of the locker and slipped them onto his feet, the laces already pre-tied, before stalking out to meet Wonwoo.

 

“You’re not getting changed?”

 

“I fully plan to spend five minutes at this stupid meeting and then I’m getting back on the ice, so no, I’m not getting changed.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

That’s how Soonyoung found himself sat at a circular table with Wonwoo at his left and, to his utter horror, Jeonghan to his right. Everyone else was wearing casual attire while Soonyoung looked fully ready to jump onto any ice that presented itself to him, but he couldn’t care less.

 

They’d been the first to arrive and had only just sat to the table in the small cafe before Jeonghan walked in with another man who Soonyoung recognised but couldn’t name. Being the angel he is, Jeonghan decided to sit himself right next to Soonyoung as if his presence wouldn’t be despised enough without the close proximity.

 

“Nice to see you again, Soonyoung,” Jeonghan beamed at him with his ridiculously angelic smile.

 

Soonyoung wasn’t having any of it though, “Can’t say I feel same.”

 

He received a kick to the shin from Wonwoo but made no effort to retract his statement; Jeonghan only smiled further, “Nice to see you’re as affectionate as always.”

 

“Please stop talking.”

 

“Soonyoung! I’m sorry about him, he fell a lot today in practice,” Wonwoo said as an excuse for Soonyoung’s sour attitude.

 

“As if I’d fall while only practicing spins for hours and then quads at the end.”

 

Everyone ignored Soonyoung’s comment and Jeonghan replied to Wonwoo, “It’s no bother, I never expect him to be nice.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed, “Why would I be nice to someone like you?”

 

Before that question could be answered the duo with the comedic height difference entered the cafe and seated themselves at the table, Mingyu scrambling to sit next to Wonwoo and Jihoon just sitting at whichever chair was closest - the one next to the man Soonyoung can’t remember the name of.

 

“Sorry we’re late,” Mingyu gasped for breath, “Jihoon made me run all the way here with him on my back.”

 

The short male shrugged, “If you’re forcing me to train on the ice every day then I should have the right to keep you in shape too.”

 

“You’re ruthless,” Soonyoung said in an amused way, quite liking the idea of torturing Wonwoo in a similar fashion.

 

“I try,” Jihoon nodded in thanks.

 

Wonwoo turned to Soonyoung as if he could hear the gears turning in his head, “If you’re gonna try make me do that then you might as well give up now because it’s never gonna happen.”

 

“We’ll see,” Soonyoung winked, “Now please tell me why we’re all here so we can get this over with and leave.”

 

Mingyu gladly started the discussion, “We need to decide who the final member of the team will be, I propose Dino.”

 

“He’s not ready for the olympics,” Soonyoung said defensively, protective of his younger training partner.

 

“He’s the only option we’ve got,” Mingyu responded, “You have trained with him for years and still do. Jihoon trains with both of you a lot and Jeonghan trains with Jihoon a lot. And as far as I’m aware, you two used to train together,” he gestured between Soonyoung and Jeonghan.

 

“Yeah, we did,” Soonyoung confirmed, “But that was over 10 years ago.”

 

“You still know each other,” Wonwoo added, “You all know what the others are capable of and you all have the ability to help each other do better in the programs you have prepared for the team skate. I know that doesn’t mean you necessarily will help each other or need any help, but it’s there if you do since you all know each other.”

 

“Dino has competed nationally like  _twice_ , barely anyone will know who he is and so many people will criticise the team for allowing him to take up a space when there are more adept Korean skaters out there. Do you have any idea how much pressure this would put on him? He’s only 18,” Soonyoung ranted.

 

Jeonghan spoke after raising his hand, “I have no idea who Dino is.”

 

“See!” Soonyoung exclaimed to Mingyu.

 

“You do,” said the mystery man next to Jeonghan, “He’s Chan but his fans, and apparently friends too, call him Dino.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Jeonghan said with a spark of recognition, “No, I agree with Soonyoung. He isn’t ready for the olympics.”

 

Mingyu slumped forward and whacked his head on the table in frustration, “There isn’t anyone else, I’ve already had Wonwoo be training Chan with a program for the team skate for months.”

 

Soonyoung gasped and snapped his gaze to his coach, “You’ve been doing  _what_?”

 

Wonwoo sighed and listed, “Listen; Chan wants to compete in the Olympics, we have a slot open in the team, no one else could join since we’ve left this so last minute, Chan has been preparing for months, this is a perfect opportunity for him.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Soonyoung demanded.

 

“Because you’d react like this! Saying he isn’t ready right in front of him, and how do you think that’d make him feel? Like crap. So I’ve been training him whenever I had the chance while you had off days.”

 

Soonyoung turned away from the heated conversation with his coach to process the information but only just noticed that the remaining space between Mingyu and Jihoon had become occupied by another man during this discussion. Soonyoung jumped so hard at the realisation that his knees shot up and whacked the table, he lowered his head onto the wooden surface in shameful pain and remained there, emitting a low groan followed by a quiet  _‘fuck off’_ when he felt Jeonghan pat the back of his head in pity.

 

“I don’t think I’m  _that_ scary,” a cheerful voice mused with a concerned edge, “Are you okay?”

 

“Do you fucking think--” Soonyoung trailed off when he looked up and saw the God of a man that had startled him to hell and back. He’s never seen the other guy in his life (he’d never forget a face like that) and he has no idea what he did to deserve to see such a perfect human with his own two eyes.

 

Whoever he was, he had very kind looking eyes and perfectly tousled hair, coupled with a killer smile and face that’s angular in all the right ways; Soonyoung was mesmerised.

 

Until Jeonghan snapped him out of it and ruined the guy’s image with one sentence, “Why are you staring at my coach?”

 

It only took that one sentence for Soonyoung to look at the newcomer in a completely different light. No one with a functioning moral compass would be the coach of someone so evil, but why did his smile look so genuine? And why did he appear to be genuinely concerned about whether Soonyoung was okay or not after banging his knees on the table?

 

“Soonyoung?” Wonwoo waved a hand in front of his face.

 

“I’m fine,” Soonyoung finally responded to the man’s question.

 

The other smiled, “That’s good. I’m Seokmin and I don’t think we’ve ever actually met before, which is quite strange since you’ve been in competitions with Jeonghan for years, but anyway it’s nice to finally meet you.”

 

“It’s an honour to meet you too, Seokmin. You are the coach of Korea’s current biggest figure skater, after all.”

 

Wonwoo choked on the complimentary water he was drinking at hearing Soonyoung offer any kind of praise in Jeonghan’s direction, never mind an extremely high praise. Even Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, but Seokmin was oblivious to their shock, “The coach of  _one_ of the biggest figure skaters in Korea, I’d say all the coaches at this table share that title.”

 

Soonyoung was pleased to see that at least Seokmin was modest, unlike Jeonghan, “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

 

“I give praise where it’s due,” he shrugged.

 

Soonyoung hummed in agreement before voicing the question he’s had since the start of this unusual meeting. He looked to the guy sat next to Jeonghan, “I’m sorry for not knowing but who  _are_ you?”

 

“Seungcheol, Jeonghan’s fitness trainer.”

 

“You could’ve just introduced yourself as ‘Jeonghan’s’, that would’ve sufficed,” Jeonghan purred.

 

Soonyoung witnessed Seokmin roll his eyes at the blatant flirting and wondered if it was a common occurrence between the two.

 

“So you’ve all decided on Chan then?” Seokmin asked.

 

“Yeah,” Mingyu and Wonwoo chorused while Soonyoung and Jeonghan countered with a, “No.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “He will be entered for the pair skate won’t he? How have you been training him without a partner?”

 

“Well until we talk to the board and put him officially on the team, none of the female skaters would come over and waste practice time by skating with him, so he’s been practicing with Jihoon,” Wonwoo gestured to the mentioned boy.

 

Soonyoung cackled at the thought and pointed at Jihoon, “You? With Chan? Man, I’ve got to see this in person holy shit I bet it’s beautiful. How did you keep them from murdering each other?”

 

“We said we wouldn’t feed them if they didn’t complete the training schedule for that day,” Mingyu answered.

 

“That’s harsh,” Seokmin reprimanded.

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “Maybe, but it worked.”

 

Soonyoung was still smiling, amused at the thought of Chan doing a partner skate routine with Jihoon - it was just too comical to envision. Jihoon was constantly mocking the other in every way possible and it often ended with them speeding around the ice trying to shove each other to an icy end whenever they would meet to practice together. Lost in his amusement, Soonyoung missed the conversations that were going on at the table between the other skaters and coaches and decided his presence was no longer required.

 

“Okay,” he stood up, “You didn’t even need us all to meet here if you had already decided this beforehand anyway, and we’re done now so...I’m gonna go.”

 

Before he could hear the complaints from his coach and friends, Soonyoung had already jogged out of the cafe without having any lunch and kept up his light jog all the way back to the rink. When he got there he offered a friendly wave to the owner, swapped his trainers for his skates and hopped back on the ice.

 

Soonyoung took a deep breath and lazily moved around the ice as a cool down from his long jog. Once he felt his heart rate return to a normal resting rhythm he connected his phone to the bluetooth sound system at the rink; the music from his program for the Cup of China resounding lowly through the ice.

 

He’s been preparing for the competition for months and he spins around the ice as if by second nature, never missing a beat. Soonyoung needs to place within the top six at the Cup of China in order to be eligible to compete in the Grand Prix Final, and he believes he is more than capable of that. At last year’s Cup of China, Soonyoung was second only to Jeonghan but then completely messed up his polished routine in the Final.

 

He still finished fifth overall, but he had never been that angry with himself for throwing away months of hard work just because of nerves. This time, Soonyoung was determined to at the very least finish the Final in the top three, and ideally to place above Jeonghan.

 

Soonyoung’s program began with a lot of backwards skating and backwards crossovers until he stretched a leg out to swing himself around in a half spin. After that, he glided forward a few more paces until beginning to spin his way around the shorter edge of the rink, keeping in time with the music.

 

He jumped, spun successfully four times and landed, taking a good chuck out of the ice with his toe pick. He went to follow up the jump with a triple flip but locked eyes with Jeonghan’s ridiculously attractive coach on takeoff, couldn’t beat his own momentum or shock, and so did one spin successfully before losing his perfect form and swaying into a fall.

 

Soonyoung was already close to the wall before his quad, the triple would’ve helped him move away from it and back to the center of the rink. But Seokmin just had to appear for reasons still unknown and throw him off. Soonyoung’s tired body slid along the ice until he was pressed against the wall in tangle of confused limbs.

 

Surprisingly, Jeonghan’s ridiculously attractive coach actually came cautiously waddling onto the ice in his regular shoes to assist Soonyoung, “Are you okay?”

 

Soonyoung accepted the hand that was offered to him and stood up with the assistance of Seokmin and the rink wall, “Yeah, thanks, just the usual fall. I’ll be bruised tomorrow but that’s just the usual.”

 

With his skates on, Soonyoung towered a few inches above Seokmin but guessed that he would be slightly shorter than the other without them. Soonyoung dusted himself off and stopped the music, “Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?”

 

Seokmin smiled and shook his head as if refreshing his memory, “Oh yeah, Wonwoo sent me here to bring you lunch because he said you ate breakfast at seven and it’s now,” he checked a fancy looking watch, “almost 1pm.”

 

“Why did he send  _you_?” Soonyoung enquired, and then added with a slight lilt, “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

 

“Wonwoo said he needs to discuss some things with the Olympic Committee about Chan, and everyone else said they couldn’t be bothered to bring you food because it’s your fault for leaving before you ate - apart from Jeonghan, he offered to bring you it but I said I’d do it instead because you really don’t seem to like him.”

 

Soonyoung stiffened at the name and then remembered that he man he is speaking to right now is Jeonghan’s  _coach_ , “Uh yeah, we don’t get along. Thank you though, for bringing it for me.”

 

They both moved to leave the ice and both noticed they were trying to make sure the other didn’t fall, Seokmin because he was scared Soonyoung was more injured than he was letting on from the fall and Soonyoung because he was scared Seokmin would slip on the ice in his normal shoes, they shared a small laugh when they noticed.

 

Soonyoung sat on one of the many benches around the rink and Seokmin handed him a brown paper bag while taking a seat next to him. Inside, Soonyoung found a wrapped up sandwich overflowing with lettuce, chicken and some type of barbeque sauce. He began to eat while Seokmin asked, “What was that routine you were practicing?”

 

“It’s for the Cup of China...How much did you see?”

 

“Uh...All of it?” Seokmin scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, “But you didn’t do that much anyway before you fell and I was about to speak  _literally_ as you started the music, but then you just changed so I decided to watch.”

 

Around a mouthful of chicken, Soonyoung asked, “I changed?”

 

“You have a different persona when you skate.”

 

“How so?”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “You just command attention, and, for lack of a better phrase, make that rink your bitch.”

 

Soonyoung snorted, “Very eloquently put.”

 

”Why thank you.”

 

“So, you’re saying that Jeonghan doesn’t make the rink his bitch?” the petty side of Soonyoung questioned.

 

Seokmin scrunched his face slightly in thought, “Not really, it’s more like he makes love to the ice, you know?”

 

“Wow, he gets a poetic statement and I get a slang phrase.”

 

“Come on,” Seokmin drawled, “Would you rather make something your bitch or make love to it?”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Soonyoung said suggestively before shoving more of the sandwich into his mouth in a stark contrast. Unlike Soonyoung thought, Seokmin was not flustered or rendered speechless by his rhetorical question, and instead offered an equally suggestive reply.

 

“Is that an offer?”

 

“Hm, I don’t know,” Soonyoung hummed on his way to bin the now empty wrapper and bag, “Fraternising with the enemy is never a good idea.”

 

“Hey,  _I’m_ not your enemy,” Seokmin said, moving to lean on the wall of the rink where Soonyoung stood leaning on the other side twisting around slightly on the ice, “I just coach and teach him.”

 

“Yeah?” Soonyoung leant closer to the other’s face, skates giving him a slight height advantage, and dropped his voice to a low playful lilt, “I’d let you  _teach me a lesson_ any day.”

 

Before Seokmin could reply, Soonyoung pushed himself away from the wall and skated away pleased with himself. When he circled back around and Seokmin came into view again, he was glad to see that the other looked at least amused at his words if nothing else.

 

Soonyoung didn’t want to perform his program for the Cup of China in front of anyone other than Wonwoo and Chan, and ridiculously attractive coaches don’t get exempt from that no matter how much Soonyoung would love to ‘ _make the rink his bitch’_ just for Seokmin. Instead, Soonyoung picked up speed and entered into a spin from the backwards inside edge of his skate, swinging a leg around and doing several camel spins.

 

He went from the camel spin to a bent leg layback spin, one of his legs was still straight and connected to the ice while his body was bent backwards and turned to face the roof, his other leg was bent and parallel to the floor with the knee bent and the toes pointing to the ice. From this position he turned back into a camel spin, body sideways, one leg down, one straight out in-line with the body, and then dropped down into a simple sit spin.

 

Squatted down, Soonyoung felt an ache in the leg that was then supporting his body weight and concluded that it was probably due to his earlier fall. He rose back up to a normal standing position to take the strain off of his thigh and glided around for a while, scratching the ice to a clean halt in front of Seokmin, “Aren’t you bored?”

 

“Bored? Watching you? Never,” Seokmin flattered the other from where his chin leant on his hand, elbow perched on the wall.

 

Soonyoung cooed, “Aw, thank you. I’m not exactly doing anything interesting though.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “I could watch people skate for hours, you especially.”

 

Smiling, Soonyoung felt extremely proud of himself and his career, “Wouldn’t Jeonghan be disproving of your complimenting me?”

 

“Nah,” Seokmin waved the question away as if it was offensive to him, “He knows I’m obsessed with you.”

 

Soonyoung raised an amused eyebrow and Seokmin continued, “Not in a weird way or anything. I just love watching you skate and Jeonghan complains that I pay more attention to you than him.”

 

Soonyoung preened at the comment, “Then how come we’ve never met before? We must’ve been in the same building hundreds of times.”

 

“I’m sure we have, but you always do your damn best to avoid Jeonghan and I’m always wherever Jeonghan is so that’s probably why we’ve never actually met before.”

 

“That’s not fair,” Soonyoung declared, skating round in little circles in front of Seokmin, “That means you’ve been watching me all these years but I only got to see you for the first time today.”

 

“You’ve probably seen me on the news and stuff before.”

 

“...I don’t think I have.”

 

“ _How?_ I’m always on TV when Jeonghan is in competitions just like Wonwoo is when you are, and there’s always loads of articles too.”

 

“Why would I watch the TV broadcast if I was there in person?”

 

“Good point, but what about if it’s a competition you’re not in?”

 

“Then I don’t care.”

 

Seokmin blinked, “I mean, fair enough.”

 

“I bet you watch all my competitions even if Jeonghan isn’t there, and I bet you have posters of me covering all your walls,” Soonyoung teased.

 

Seokmin scoffed, “I’m not quite  _that_ obsessed, but I did have you as my phone background once.”

 

Soonyoung, the professional figure skating athlete, nearly slipped on the ice at such a simple confession, but thankfully managed to save himself, “Only once?”

 

“...Okay twice, but right now it’s a picture of my dog.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t know how to react to the prior information, but smiled at the mention of a dog, “Can I see?”

 

Eagerly, Seokmin fetched his phone from his trench coat’s pocket and held the lockscreen up to Soonyoung, “Isn’t he cute?”

 

Soonyoung positively melted at the image, “He’s adorable. He looks quite small?”

 

Seokmin nodded, “He’s rather tiny, I’ll have to introduce you to him at some point.”

 

“Oh my God, please do. What’s his name?”

 

“Woojoo.”

 

“I look forward to meeting Woojoo then.”

 

The rink’s owner popped her head in through the double doors, “Soonyoung, the rink becomes open to the public in ten minutes - just thought I’d warn you.”

 

“Ah right,” Soonyoung realised the time after glancing to the digital clock on the wall, “Thank you!”

 

She disappeared again with a small wave and Soonyoung contemplated whether to stay in the rink or not when it would be flooded with beginner skaters before long. Seokmin seemed to notice his inner dilemma, “How long does the public session last?”

 

“From 2 till 3:30, it’s supposed to start earlier but Wonwoo booked it for me and then scheduled a meeting for the same time? I have no idea what he’s thinking sometimes.”

 

“Then you could always come back at half past if you still want to skate?”

 

“But what do I do in the meantime?” Soonyoung complained while stepping off of the ice, slipping the guards onto the blades of his skates before stomping along to the locker room with Seokmin following him.

 

“You could meet Woojoo?” Seokmin offered hesitantly as if he thought that he would be overstepping his boundaries since it’s only their first meeting. However, Soonyoung jumped with joy and excitedly clapped his hands before opening his locker.

 

“Really? Like, right now?”

 

“Yeah…?” Seokmin questioned himself, still hesitant.

 

“You don’t sound so sure,” Soonyoung pointed out while sitting on the bench, swapping his skates for his trainers again.

 

“Well, you seeing Woojoo would involve you coming to my apartment…”

 

“And?” Soonyoung looked up at the other with a teasing glint in his eyes, “Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me, your obsession, once we’re no longer in public?”

 

When Soonyoung looked back down again to remove his other skate, long fingers hooked under his chin and turned his head to look back at the owner of the digits, “Whether we’re in public or not wouldn’t matter to me.”

 

Soonyoung swallowed hard and actually felt himself flush at that statement rather than make a witty remark. He continued to stare up into Seokmin’s unwavering eyes before the owner stormed into the locker area and they separated faster than the speed of light, “Two minutes until I let the flood of school kids in Soonyoung, you better hurry up.”

 

He finished changing into his trainers at a faster pace, wanting to avoid the horde of children before they were unleashed, and picked up his gym bag and skates before nodding to Seokmin that he was ready to leave. Seokmin stretched a hand out as an offer to take one of Soonyoung’s bags, and Soonyoung passed over his gym bag as he’s too protective of his skates.

 

“Thank you,” were the first words said by Soonyoung in the thick silence that had hung over them.

 

“No problem,” Seokmin responded while leading them out of the rink. The kids waiting in line cheered when they saw Soonyoung as they usually do, and as much as he hates it when the ice is unavailable because it’s polluted with children, he also adores the children too. As he left the building he high fived those waiting in line with a smile and encouraged them to do well while keeping up with Seokmin’s long strides.

 

When they reached Seokmin’s shiny black car he he held the door open for a grateful Soonyoung before getting in himself and starting the engine, “Have you told Wonwoo where you’re going?”

 

“Nah, I was meant to go to the gym by myself anyway once the public session started so if he needs me he’ll text me.”

 

“Alright.”

 

The drive to Seokmin’s apartment was rather short and not much conversation occurred but Soonyoung spent most of the journey repeating Seokmin’s words in his head and pondering over the tail end of the sentence: _“Whether we’re in public or not wouldn’t matter to me.”_

 

_“..in public or not…”_

 

_“...wouldn’t matter to me.”_

 

Is Seokmin into public sex? The adrenaline rush that comes from almost getting caught? Soonyoung mentally slapped himself;  _you met him for the first time today and you’re already thinking about what he likes in bed while on your way to meet his cute dog, get your shit together Soonyoung._

 

The driver’s door slamming shut startled Soonyoung out of his mental reprimandation of himself and he also hopped out of the car, skates in hand, while Seokmin took his gym bag out from the back seat. He followed the taller male into the lobby of the building and then asked once they were in the elevator, “This is gonna sound really rude and intrusive but could I please use your shower? I trained for hours this morning and I stink.”

 

Seokmin raised a perfectly arched brow, “Really? I can’t smell you at all. I mean of course you can have a shower, but really you don’t smell.”

 

Soonyoung pointed at his rink jacket, “It’s all contained in here, believe me, once I take this off you will smell it. Also my leggings are kinda stuck to me, so there’s that.”

 

Seokmin shook his head in amusement, “You can have a shower, it’s no problem. Do you have more clothes?”

 

This time Soonyoung pointed at the bag that Seokmin was holding, “Yeah, they’re in there.”

 

“Alright.”

 

The elevator slowed to a steady halt and Soonyoung followed Seokmin down the bleak, white corridor to a dark oak door. Seokmin unlocked the door and allowed Soonyoung to enter first.

 

Seokmin’s apartment was very large at first glance. The room which the front door immediately led to was the living area where a colossal flat screen was mounted to the wall to the left, a long, plush grey sofa divided the room in two and behind the sofa stood a small table next to the bookshelf concealing the wall. Soonyoung admired the minimalism, “You have a lot of space for one person.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “This is the biggest room because it’s technically two rooms, but I spend most of my time in my bedroom when I’m alone. When Jeonghan and everyone’s over then the extra space comes in handy.”

 

“Ah, makes sense. Why do you spend more time in your room though?”

 

“I just like being in bed, and being alone in this massive room gets lonely and cold sometimes,” Seokmin said honestly while hanging his coat up and removing his shoes.

 

Soonyoung followed suit, “What about Woojoo?”

 

“Woojoo likes to be in bed too, in fact he’s probably asleep now because otherwise he would’ve come running when the door opened.”

 

Seokmin stalked off somewhere, presumably to his own room, and left Soonyoung awkwardly loitering in the living room. When he returned, he had an excited bundle of white fur licking his face and Soonyoung inwardly and outwardly squealed, “Woojoo!”

 

The small dog turned to look at him when he called its name, and Woojoo started to kick against Seokmin to try propel himself to Soonyoung, the new human. Soonyoung walked closer to Woojoo instead and ended up stood as close to Seokmin as possible with Woojoo in between them, “Aren’t you the cutest?”

 

Woojoo barked in response to Soonyoung’s continued cooing and Seokmin just smiled at the scene, bouncing Woojoo in his arms slightly.

 

It took all of Soonyoung’s willpower to step away from Woojoo and towards his gym bag after a wave of his own scent hit him, “Where’s your bathroom?”

 

“I’ll show you,” Seokmin put Woojoo down and led the way with Soonyoung and a needy Woojoo trailing behind, “Do you have a towel?”

 

“Yeah, I have all my shower stuff cuz I usually have a shower at the gym once I’m done.”

 

“Makes sense,” Seokmin nodded, opening the bathroom door wide for Soonyoung to enter, “I’ll just be in the living room.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be done in a few minutes,” Soonyoung told a disbelieving Seokmin while closing and locking the door. Soonyoung stripped out of his sweaty training clothes and shoved them into a separate section of his bag before fetching his toiletries and hopping into the shower. He washed his hair and cleaned his body at the same time, not being a fan of wasting time stood in a stream of water when he had better things to be doing, and was done within minutes like he previously declared.

 

Soonyoung was going to put his loose sweatpants on after drying himself but figured he should at least try make some impression on Seokmin, and so shimmied his way into the black skinny jeans he had planned to wear upon leaving the gym. Giving himself at least some comfort, he opted to wear no shirt and only a soft grey hoodie.

 

He appeared from the bathroom no more than four minutes after he had entered, dressed with his hair towel dried. Seokmin looked somewhat baffled, “When you said a few minutes I genuinely thought you were joking.”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “I don’t like being wet,” to which Seokmin offered an amused eyebrow raise and so Soonyoung continued, “By water. I don’t like it when I’m wet because of water. Don’t get me wrong, I love swimming, but I hate the awkward stage between getting out of the water and getting dry when your clothes just stick to you, ew no.”

 

Seokmin huffed in amusement while Soonyoung joined him on the sofa, “Why don’t you just wait till your body is fully dry before putting your clothes on then?”

 

“I usually don’t have the luxury of time, but that’s my fault because I tend to sleep in until the very literal last minute,” Soonyoung shrugged, again, “Do you have a hairdryer?”

 

Seokmin turned his body to face Soonyoung, “I’m not being a dick, I genuinely used to have one until yesterday but it blew up because of a power surge.”

 

“Hmm,” Soonyoung hummed in thought, trying to decide whether to believe the other or not.

 

“I swear, you can ring reception and ask them if you want.”

 

Soonyoung stared at Seokmin, dissecting him, “I’ll believe you, but only because of Woojoo - where is Woojoo?”

 

“He probably went back to my room to sleep. I swear he thinks he’s a cat sometimes because he literally just sleeps all the time,” Seokmin drawled affectionately.

 

“Cute,” Soonyoung stated while lifting his feet off of the floor and folding his legs under himself; in doing so, he felt the usual ache in the limbs and visibly winced at the tightness of his muscles from hours of endless skating coupled with a mile long jog and then even more skating.

 

Seokmin noticed, “Are you okay? Is it from when you fell earlier?”

 

“It’s fine,” Soonyoung waved him off, “It’s just the ache, you know? I’m sure Jeonghan gets it too sometimes.”

 

Seokmin nodded in sudden understanding, “He does. I used to massage him but now he has Seungcheol to do that.”

 

Sooyoung noticed that Seokmin seemed slightly bitter about having the position taken away from him, but at the same time also glad to not have to do the job himself anymore, “Are you offering?”

 

“An excuse to touch your glorious thighs? I’d be insane to pass that up,” Seokmin teased.

 

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Soonyoung placed his legs hesitantly onto Seokmin’s lap, where the other was patting as an invitation, and ended up just fully lying down on the sofa, ass on one side of Seokmin’s thighs and feet at the other with his knees bent up slightly. Seokmin offered him the remote, “Watch whatever you want, the news is always depressing.”

 

Soonyoung began to lazily flick through the channels in search of some quality entertainment while Seokmin started kneading his thighs with skilled hands. He started from above the knee and worked his way up slowly, paying more attention to spots that made Soonyoung twitch or groan. Once Seokmin moved onto the other thigh, Soonyoung actually shot up into a sitting position, startling Seokmin and himself, “Sorry! There’s a bruise there, from when I fell earlier...I noticed it in the shower.”

 

Seokmin’s eyes softened in sympathy, “Sorry, where is it?”

 

“Just here, from about my hip to,” Soonyoung took Seokmin’s hand and lay it on his leg with the fingertips at his hip, “Yeah, just about the length of your hand.”

 

Seokmin looked at the area where his hand lay with worry, “That’s a big bruise.”

 

“It’s nothing,” declared Soonyoung, lying back down, “That must just be what hit the ice first.”

 

“If you say so,” Seokmin shook his head, continuing the massage but avoiding the bruised area, “You know, this would be so much easier if you weren’t wearing jeans.”

 

Soonyoung promptly rolled himself off of the sofa and rummaged around in his bag for his sweatpants, “You have no idea how much I regret choosing these over sweatpants. I just wanted to show my legs off to you but this discomfort isn’t worth it.”

 

Seokmin laughed while Soonyoung casually slid the jeans off and stepped into the comfy sweatpants, “I know what your legs look like already, Soonyoung. Even if I didn’t before today, I was watching you skate around in leggings only half an hour ago.”

 

Soonyoung flopped back onto the sofa in comfy contentment and swung his legs back up to their prior position, “I like to feel like I look sexy, and sweatpants do not make me feel sexy one bit.”

 

“Why not?” Seokmin questioned, moving on from the thighs and to the calves, “Your legs are  _that_ muscular that I can still see the curves along your legs even with you wearing sweatpants.”

 

“Just because you think I  _look_ sexy, doesn’t mean I  _feel_ sexy.”

 

“True.”

 

“Why is there nothing good to watch?” Soonyoung whined while tiring of the current program he’d selected, “What do you usually watch?”

 

“Nothing much, just whatever’s on, but I don’t really watch TV that often anyway,” Seokmin swiftly changed the topic, “Have you never had a massage before or something? Because your calves are horribly stiff, I don’t know how you aren’t screaming in pain at this point.”

 

“I massage my own legs kinda every now and then, but usually I just have a bath or go to a hot spring.”

 

“I thought you hated being wet?”

 

“To correct my past self: I hate being wet and then having to get dry.”

 

Seokmin shook his head in amused disbelief, “Alright, and what about the how come you aren’t in pain right now part?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “I have a high pain tolerance? I can definitely feel that it hurts but I’m good at keeping quiet about it.”

 

“That’s a shame,” Seokmin sighed, “For someone who doesn’t even need a microphone to do their winning speeches, I thought you’d be quite vocal.”

 

“Well I mean I can be, but you’re massaging my calf not pounding my ass, so I don’t see the need.”

 

Seokmin choked in laughter, “Very eloquently said.”

 

“I must’ve picked it up from you, Mr.You make that rink your bitch.”

 

“You’re never gonna let that go, are you?”

 

“Nope!” Soonyoung declared gleefully, sitting up when it appeared that Seokmin had finished.

 

However, Seokmin pouted, “I haven’t done your feet yet.”

 

At this sad announcement, Soonyoung quickly retracted his legs to himself, “Good, I’m horribly ticklish on my feet.”

 

“It doesn’t tickle,” Seokmin promised, pulling Soonyoung’s feet back into his lap, “If anything, it hurts more than it tickles.”

 

Soonyoung wasn’t convinced but allowed Seokmin to press his adept fingers into his feet anyway and then promptly moaned in pain instead of shrieking in laughter like he thought he would, “Okay, ow.”

 

“Told you,” Seokmin said smugly while trying to keep Soonyoung’s agitated foot still.

 

Soonyoung flopped back down onto the sofa and groaned loudly in response, “Why does it hurt so much?”

 

“Because you never loosen your muscles properly,” Seokmin sing-songed, for whatever reason, “If you did this more often it wouldn’t hurt as much eventually and would just become pleasant instead.”

 

Soonyoung hummed as an answer and a comfortable silence surrounded them for a while, interrupted only by Soonyoung’s occasional squirming when he tried to reflexively pull his feet away from Seokmin.

 

When the adverts came on in place of the nature documentary Soonyoung had become momentarily infatuated with, he voiced his thoughts aloud, “What am I doing here?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’m in my rivals coach’s apartment and said coach is giving me a foot massage?”

 

“Said coach is done,” Seokmin said, giving Soonyoung’s calf a pat as an indication for the other to remove his legs from his lap.

 

“Then what am I doing here now that you’re done?”

 

“I can think of a few reasons why you came here,” Seokmin stated, giving Soonyoung a knowing look, “Also, would you like me to massage your shoulders?”

 

Soonyoung blinked and sat up, “I mean, yeah, might as well.”

 

Seokmin spread his legs and patted the space between them with an eyebrow wiggle, Soonyoung seated himself there with a roll of his eyes, “This just feels surreal, it’s weird.”

 

“How so?”

 

“I met you for the first time today,” Soonyoung paused for a moment, words caught in his throat when Seokmin pressed into all the right places on his shoulders, “But now I’m at your apartment and I feel like I’ve known you for years.”

 

“Aw, how sweet.”

 

Soonyoung hit Seokmin’s thigh lightly for the mockery, “Seriously, I feel very comfortable with you.”

 

“I don’t know how to respond to this,” Seokmin replied with bewildered amusement lacing his voice.

 

“I don’t expect you to,” Soonyoung reassured with the shake of his head, “I’m just speaking out loud.”

 

“That’s what speaking is, generally.”

 

Soonyoung sighed in annoyance and pleasure, “I meant thinking, but I’m currently incapable of thinking because this feels so nice.”

 

Seokmin hummed happily, “I’m glad. Your shoulders aren’t as bad as your legs.”

 

“Nah, my neck’s horrible though.”

 

“How come?”

 

“I have a habit of falling asleep in weird positions that really aren’t good for my neck.”

 

Seokmin’s hands disappeared from his shoulders, “Alright, I’ll do your neck instead then. Turn around.”

 

Soonyoung looked at Seokmin from over his shoulder, “Turn around?”

 

“I can only massage your neck like I’d do it if I was doing it to myself, from the front. So turn around.”

 

Soonyoung stood up and turned around, standing looking down at Seokmin when it clicked in his head, “I think you just want me to sit on your lap.”

 

“I think you’ll find you’re 100% correct,” came Seokmin’s honest response without a beat of hesitation.

 

And honestly, who was Soonyoung to deny the request from the ridiculously attractive coach?

 

He did as instructed and placed himself onto Seokmin’s lap, on his knees with his thighs slotted either side of Seokmin’s. He looked down at the other’s smug expression, “What?”

 

“You’re so compliant,” Seokmin pointed out with newfound intrigue.

 

“Only if you’re worthy of my compliance.”

 

“I’m honoured,” Seokmin informed the other, casually slipping his hands onto either side of Soonyoung’s neck like he’d performed the action a million times before. Soonyoung visibly stiffened at the action and Seokmin teased, “I thought you felt comfortable with me already.”

 

“I do,” Soonyoung promised, hands digging in where they rested on his own thighs, and then revealed, “I just have a sensitive neck.”

 

Seokmin banked that information for later use, “Nice to know. That means this is going to hurt then - especially if your neck is already stiff, as you said it is.”

 

“It’s  _so_ stiff,” Soonyoung emphasised by dragging out the words.

 

“How come?” Seokmin questioned, beginning to dance his fingers along the sides of Soonyoung’s neck with surprising force.

 

Soonyoung hissed through his teeth before responding, “Dunno, just hurts today.”

 

Seokmin made a concentrated face while feeling his way along Soonyoung’s neck, “Well it won’t hurt anymore soon.”

 

“Thank you,” Soonyoung said with a smile before Seokmin’s hands dropped down to the base of his neck and pressed on the area where neck meets shoulder and he actually _yelped_ in pain, hands coming up to grab at Seokmin’s wrists by reflex.

 

Seokmin offered an apologetic smile, “I guess it hurts there?”

 

“I wonder what made you think that,” Soonyoung spoke, words laced with pained sarcasm.

 

“I wonder,” Seokmin repeated, trying again to press on the area on either side of Soonyoung’s neck, but the skater tightened his grip on his wrists, “You’ve got to let me do it or it’ll get worse.”

 

Soonyoung pouted, “But it hurts.”

 

“It’ll feel better after.”

 

“That’s what they all say.”

 

Seokmin snorted and removed Soonyoung’s hands from his wrists before placing his own back around the other’s neck, “Just bare with it.”

 

He began to press lightly onto the tense area, trying to find out where the pain was the worst based on the scrunching and relaxing of Soonyoung’s facial muscles. When he began to knead harder in small circles, Soonyoung dropped his head to look down at their laps and Seokmin then found it immensely easier to move his fingers along the tense spot, “Lift your head back up, I can’t get to the bad bit if you look down.”

 

Soonyoung did as told, as expected, and as Seokmin pressed harder and harder into the flesh the other began to let out small whimpers of pain or the occasional long, drawn out ‘ _oww._ ’

 

After minutes that felt like hours of torture to Soonyoung, Seokmin declared that he was done, “You’ll probably still feel still like shit till tomorrow, but I promise you’ll feel better than you would’ve done if you just left it.”

 

Soonyoung craned his neck to the sides to stretch the assaulted muscles, “I believe you. Thank you.”

 

“Anytime,” Seokmin winked.

 

“Did you give Jeonghan massages like this too?” Soonyoung asked, gesturing between them and at himself sat in the other’s lap.

 

Seokmin looked disgusted at the thought, “God no, why would you even make me envision that?”

 

Soonyoung laughed, “Why are you so repulsed by it?”

 

“I’ve trained him since he was young, it’s just weird to imagine him in that way - even though I see him sucking face with Seungcheol all the time but, you know,” Seokmin ended with a shrug, hands resting so casually on the top of Soonyoung’s thighs that the latter didn’t even notice until now.

 

“Are they going out?”

 

Seokmin threw his hands up in the air, (and of course returned them to Soonyoung’s thighs after,) “Who knows?”

 

“Definitely not me. How old are you, by the way?”

 

“Depends what your range is,” Seokmin flirted.

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes for the nth time that day, “About 7 years older or 4 younger? I’m not really bothered though, in all honesty.”

 

“How old do you think I am?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “Around the same as Wonwoo? He’s 27.”

 

“I’m 26,” Seokmin smiled.

 

“I’m 21.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Wow, stalker much?” Soonyoung joked.

 

“I’m a fan or yours, of course I know how old you are,” Seokmin answered seriously with a jokey edge in his voice, “Are you gonna get off of me anytime soon?”

 

Soonyoung hummed,  “I wasn’t planning on doing, no, unless you want me to?”

 

“Of course not,” Seokmin reassured with a smile, and then looked down at where his hands lay on the other’s thighs, “I can’t believe how sculpted your legs are, I mean I can because you’re a skater, but  _damn_.”

 

“I haven’t skipped leg day since I was like, four.”

 

“ _Damn._ ”

 

Soonyoung laughed and poked the Seokmin’s thigh, “Yours aren’t too shabby either.”

 

Seokmin looked up at him with an unamused expression, “Gee, thanks. I already have a body inferiority complex because of you.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Kinda?” Seokmin questioned himself, “You’re muscly and toned and generally healthy, I’m just a blob.”

 

Soonyoung huffed, “I do not believe that you’re a blob. You can’t be a blob with a face like that.”

 

“Alright,” Seokmin gave in, “Maybe not a blob, but I’m squishy.”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with being squishy, I personally find it cute,” Soonyoung proclaimed defensively, leaning closer to Seokmin to get the point across.

 

“Then I guess I’ll stay squishy.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

The conversation naturally came to an end and the pair had nowhere to look aside from at each other. Science says that staring into someone’s eyes can increase your attraction towards them, but Soonyoung says that’s bullshit unless they have eyes as alluring as Seokmin’s. Naturally, Seokmin placed a hand on the side of Soonyoung’s neck, thumb running over the skin gently; Soonyoung shuddered pleasantly, and in turn lay his hands on Seokmin’s shoulders.

 

The gap between their faces gradually decreased in size while eyes roamed to lips and then back to eyes to seek permission, and then naturally, like they’d been dating for years, they kissed.

 

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos!! They make me genuinely so happy :)) I hope y'all like this and I wrote this because of the lack of seoksoon fics :(( I wish there were more seoksoon fics, also, I'm so excited for booseoksoon to officially debut dsjfksl
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


	2. Give In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say THANK YOU SOOoOOoOoooO MUCH FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS AND EVERYTHING I LOVE YOU GUYS <3<3 I'll explain a bit more in the end notes about how updates will work while I'm doing my exams, enjoyy :D
> 
> this chapter starts with some cheeky hand action oho ;)
> 
> Give In - LissA ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/4SyOVX6bNQX6s4QyJIR8S6) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGvoau-mikw)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

The gap between their faces gradually closed while eyes roamed to lips and then back to eyes to seek permission, and then naturally, like they’d been dating for years, they kissed. 

 

Slowly at first while they tried to figure out what the other liked, but things quickly became more heated when tongues became involved and hands became more adventurous and demanding. Seokmin threaded his hand into Soonyoung’s still slightly damp hair and pulled on the strands, causing the younger skater to moan into his mouth.

 

Deciding that the younger clearly liked the action, Seokmin repeated it with more strength, causing them to separate while Soonyoung’s head was pulled back, exposing his defenceless neck to Seokmin’s enthusiastic mouth. With each ministration on the sensitive area, Soonyoung either moaned low in his throat or silenced himself; doing the latter earned him a harsher tug on the hair.

 

Seokmin released his grip and Soonyoung instantly reattached their mouths, hands creeping under Seokmin’s shirt with a smile, “I see what you mean by squishy now.”

 

“Shut up,” Seokmin growled in a strangely attractive mixture of frustration and amusement, mouth seeking Soonyoung’s. The latter allowed his lips to be recaptured while his hands travelled lower, gauging how far he could go. Soonyoung was pleasantly surprised to feel that the other was already at least half hard and to receive a positive response from Seokmin at his actions.

 

When Soonyoung began to unbutton and unzip the other’s jeans, long fingers halted him around one wrist while Seokmin asked with curiosity, “What are you doing?”

 

“Cheeky handjob?”

 

Seokmin huffed through his nose in amusement and let go of his wrist, returning the hand to its prior position on Soonyoung’s hip while the other toyed with the hair at the base of his nape. Seokmin peppered kisses along Soonyoung’s jaw and neck while the other focused on getting the layers of clothes out of the way. Seokmin nibbled on Soonyoung’s ear at one point, and the latter squirmed away with a breathy laugh saying that it tickled.

 

When Soonyoung finally revealed Seokmin’s dick to the world, he thumbed over the slit and felt Seokmin’s thighs tense under him while he watched the other lay his head on the back of the sofa, now becoming the one with a defenceless neck. Soonyoung deducted that the other probably didn’t just have lube lying in wait in the living room, and so collected enough saliva to do the job, transferring it to his hand and then to the waiting member. 

 

Soonyoung enjoyed kissing his way along Seokmin’s neck while his hand worked on the other because it meant that he was closer to the other’s mouth and could hear every noise the other made, including the occasional staccato breaths.

 

Seokmin lifted his head up again to meet Soonyoung in a slightly sloppier kiss than their first but with equally as much control present through hair pulling. After another minute or so, Soonyoung tightened his grip and picked up the pace, making Seokmin lean back against the sofa again where he uttered soft curses or low moans that Soonyoung decided were one of his new favourite sounds. 

 

When Seokmin came with a slightly louder, more drawn out moan, Soonyoung focused on watching the other’s expression and decided that he wanted the image of a satisfied Seokmin staring down at him through hooded eyes while heaving for breath burned onto his corneas.

 

Soonyoung leant over the edge of the sofa to retrieve his sweaty training shirt to clean up any mess that got on their clothes, but made a show of sucking his fingers clean while Seokmin watched him lazily, returning his breathing rate to a normal rhythm.

 

“I’d rate that a 9 out of 10.”

 

“Where did I lose a mark?” Soonyoung enquired.

 

“I would’ve liked a bit more skin to skin action,” Seokmin said honestly but with a playful expression, causing Soonyoung to tut in amusement.

 

“Noted for next time,” Soonyoung promptly tried to get off of Seokmin’s lap but the other held him there in confusion.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

Soonyoung scooped his phone up off the couch and showed it to Seokmin, “The rink opens again in 20 minutes, it’s time to go back.”

 

“Wow, you’re really gonna leave me for some ice.”

 

Soonyoung jabbed him in the stomach, “Hey, ice skating is my  _ job _ . It’s sunday and the rink is open for the longest period then because after this session they clean the ice and then the place closes, but the owner lets me use it till as late as I want.”

 

“But you’re still hard,” Seokmin whined, trying to rake his hands up Soonyoung’s thighs to his still clothed erection, but Soonyoung stopped them in their tracks.

 

“I am indeed, painfully so because what I just witnessed was hot as fuck, but all I have to do is think about Chan and Jihoon doing a couple’s skate and it’ll go away.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “That is quite an image. But it hardly seems fair that you didn’t get anything out of this.”

 

“I got to meet Woojoo,” Soonyoung pointed out happily, “Even if he was only awake for a few minutes.”

 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Seokmin responded with a disgruntled expression.

 

Soonyoung sighed, “I know what you meant, but this is still the first time we’ve met and I don’t know about you but I think that whatever this,” he gestured between them, “is, it developed extremely fast. The cheeky handjob should suffice for now.”

 

“But you still didn’t get anything back.”

 

“I’m not a whore and this isn’t a one night stand,” Soonyoung stated bluntly, “You can pound my ass into next week at some point when I don’t have a training schedule, but skating after having sex when your ass and back ache isn’t easy or fun, and I’m going to be skating for at least another four hours today.”

 

Seokmin gave up with a sad sigh, “Fine. But I want to come back to the rink with you and watch you skate.”

 

Soonyoung shook his head, “Nope. I need to practice for the Cup of China and you aren’t allowed to see that, I don’t want any funny business.”

 

Seokmin scoffed in mock offence, “Do you really think I’d cheat?”

 

“I don’t know,” Soonyoung shrugged his shoulders, “You are Jeonghan’s coach, after all.”

 

While Seokmin was distracted with trying to figure out what that meant, Soonyoung got a text from Wonwoo saying that he was at the gym to pick him up. Soonyoung quickly sent Wonwoo the name of Seokmin’s apartment complex and told him to come there instead, receiving an okay in response.

 

“Wonwoo is coming to pick me up and I don’t think the gym is too far from here, so I should head down,” Soonyoung announced, lifting himself off of Seokmin while the latter was then able to fix is appearance to something presentable, “Oh, my shoulders actually do feel better.”

 

Seokmin smiled, “See? I told you the massage would work.”

 

“But now I’m going to go skate again and they will probably ache again, along with my thighs, calves, and the rest of my body,” he listed while heading to the door, bag and skates thrown over his shoulders.

 

Seokmin followed him and leaned on the wall while Soonyoung shoved his feet into his tattered trainers, “Well then you know where to come if that is the case.”

 

“Is that an open invitation?” Soonyoung smiled cheekily, standing back up straight after securing his feet into the shoes, looking up slightly at the other.

 

“Let’s just say that I wouldn’t turn you away if you showed up at my door,” Seokmin answered simply, casually leaning down to steal a final kiss from Soonyoung which the latter gladly reciprocated.

 

“Then I’ll be sure to surprise you.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

It had been a whole two weeks and a couple of days since Soonyoung met Seokmin for the first time, met his dog for the first time, and kissed him for the first time. Within that time frame nothing out of the ordinary had happened to Soonyoung. He’d been training for the Cup of China as usual and now also got to partake in the overviewing of Chan's Olympic program as well, which meant that he got to watch Chan and Jihoon doing a program designed for couples.

 

“How long is this going to go on for?” Soonyoung questioned from the edge of the rink, looking at the pair with amusement, “Why can’t he train with his actual partner now that he’s officially on the team?”

 

“She’s recovering from an injury,” Wonwoo explained simply, not diverting his gaze from Chan's form, “It’s not serious and it won’t take too long to heal, but if she tries to skate before it’s fully healed it’ll make it worse and it’ll take longer, so it’s best for us just to wait.”

 

“Ah, right,” Soonyoung exclaimed lowly before tapping the rink wall and skating over to the pair in the middle who seem to have become locked in a debate.

 

“I’m telling you, if you try pick her up like that you’re going to drop her!”

 

“I didn’t drop  _ you _ !”

 

“She’s heavier than me!”

 

Soonyoung came to a stop after circling them with piqued interest, “What’s going on here?”

 

“He doesn’t know how to properly pick someone up above head height,” Jihoon stated, pointing at Chan.

 

“ _ He _ doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Chan countered, pointing at Jihoon.

 

Soonyoung sighed and skated a few metres away from the pair, “Show me then.”

 

Jihoon skated a few paces away and then headed to Chan, placing his complete trust in the other’s capability. Chan faced him head on and then lifted him overhead by the waist so that Jihoon became parallel to the ice while Chan travelled forwards in a slow glide, holding the other securely.

 

Only it wasn’t that secure. It may look skillful to a clueless spectator, but to Soonyoung it looked sloppy. Chan's hands were in the right position on Jihoon’s hips but his arms weren’t completely straight. Jihoon’s body wasn’t completely straight either but that wasn’t a problem considering Jihoon isn’t a pair skater and is only acting as a stand-in for the meantime while Chan's actual partner heals.

 

Chan put the other down in a more controlled manner and the duo skated back to Soonyoung for his opinion, “I think you should just scrap this move from the program. You don’t have enough arm strength to support a person that far from your core for that long.”

 

“Ha!” Jihoon exclaimed in triumph, jabbing the other in the side, “I told you it was a problem with you.”

 

Chan ignored the other, “Can’t I just improve my arm strength then?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged while Jihoon kept jabbing Chan and the latter kept ignoring it, “You could, I guess. But then you’d be spending more time in the gym than time on the ice just to perfect one move, and since I’m aware that this is the only move of this nature in your program, I’d say it’s not worth it.”

 

“So I should just replace it with something else?”

 

“Yeah, but you’ll have to talk to your partner about it too since she will have been practicing the routine partnerless too until you were announced, and this is a newfound problem with you, not her.”

 

“Alright, I’ll talk to Wonwoo about it too since I can see him glaring at me.”

 

“I think he just can’t see us well. He doesn’t have his glasses on,” Soonyoung joked, but in all honesty he was probably correct.

 

Chan laughed at the joke, “Alright, I will. But first…”

 

He turned to Jihoon with a challenging expression filled with annoyance at the consistent poking he had been receiving while he spoke with Soonyoung. In a split second, Jihoon took off around the ice at such a pace that Soonyoung felt the draft the shorter male created. Chan was following him not long after, and their usual game of cat and mouse ensued while Soonyoung shook his head in amusement and returned to Wonwoo’s side.

 

“They’re removing the lift move from the program but they can talk to you more about that later,” Soonyoung informed his coach, “Where’s Mingyu?”

 

“Why would I know?”

 

“Because Jihoon is here and he’s Jihoon’s coach?”

 

Wonwoo shrugged indifferently, “I haven’t seen him for a few days. He just dropped Jihoon off here today, I think.”

 

“Why did you see him a few days ago?” Soonyoung questioned, holding out a hand for Wonwoo to pass him a water bottle, which he did.

 

“When I took Chan to Jihoon instead, but you refused to come because Jeonghan was gonna be there too.”

 

Soonyoung was momentarily puzzled. If Jeonghan was there, then Seokmin would also be there, and Jeonghan or no Jeonghan, Soonyoung wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet Seokmin again if it arose. His thought train led him to declare the realisation out loud, “Seokmin wasn’t there!”

 

Wonwoo looked at him as if he was crazy, “Yeah? He wasn’t there? Why?”

 

Those questioned prompted his next realisation; he hadn’t told anybody about what happened between him and Seokmin two sundays ago, but even he wasn’t sure what to call it. They aren’t dating but it wasn’t a one night, or was it? Would it happen again? Was it just a mutual make-out with a cheeky handjob on the side? Soonyoung had no clue, “No reason?”

 

Wonwoo was clearly very suspicious but didn’t press any further, “Alright.”

 

It was actually Soonyoung who continued the topic of Seokmin, “So, uh, why wasn’t he there on that day?”

 

“How should I know?” Wonwoo asked while taking the water bottle back when Soonyoung passed it to him, “I’m not close to him because I’ve never had the chance to be because of Jeonghan.”

 

Even Wonwoo despised Jeonghan for what he did to Soonyoung, but he was much better at hiding it and being professional like one should be. As a best friend, Wonwoo would dislike people that Soonyoung disliked anyway because that’s how friendships work and he trusts that the other doesn’t just dislike people for no reason. Taking the screws out of Soonyoung’s ice skates definitely seemed like enough of a reason for him to dislike Jeonghan.

 

Soonyoung looked up to find the huge clock glaring the time at him in bright red digits, “As much as I love to watch these two shove each other around the ice in a remotely graceful fashion, may I be done for the day?”

 

Wonwoo also glaced at the clock, “It’s only 6pm and you didn’t even train this morning because you overslept.”

 

“It won’t happen again? Please,” Soonyoung whined, elongating the vowels of the pleasantry, “I’ll come in at 5am tomorrow.”

 

Wonwoo scoffed, “I would be more surprised at that than if I saw you making out with Jeonghan. As if you would ever be here that early.”

 

Soonyoung clutched his heart in mock hurt but then immediately dropped the act, “I can’t believe you have such little faith in me! But seriously, why did you have to make me imagine myself making out with him of  _ all _ people?”

 

“I like to cause you pain,” Wonwoo smiled evilly, “But fine, you can’t really practice properly with them speeding around trying to kill each other anyway and you’ve done nothing but practice for two weeks, so you can leave now.”

 

Soonyoung started to immediately speed to the nearest door out of the rink, but Wonwoo shouted after him to get him to halt, “And! Let me finish. And, you can have tomorrow off too  _ but _ only if you are here for 7am sharp on Friday!”

 

Wonwoo had to shout the latter part too as Soonyoung became fervent at the chance of having a  _ whole day _ to himself. He hopped off of the ice, popped the guards onto his blades, and stomped happily to the locker room and then through to the changing room with his bag. As usual, he showered in a few minutes and reappeared next to Wonwoo dressed in casual clothes and with his hair mostly dry thanks to an intended hand drier, “Say bye to them for me, I don’t think they’ll hear me over the sound of their burning desire to crush each other into the ice.”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “I will. See you friday,” and then began to shout and clap at them to knock it off and get back to work while Soonyoung left the building, slipped into his own car and headed for his apartment.

 

When he got there, after putting his training clothes into the wash and putting his skates away, he didn’t know what to do with the free time he’d been given. Initially, he had the intention to go see Seokmin again, but during his journey home he realised that they never even exchanged numbers. He knew where the other lived, but would Seokmin actually welcome him in if he showed up without notice, like he said he would?

 

Seokmin may not even be home, he could be training Jeonghan.  _ Social media _ , Soonyoung’s brain lit up,  _ the glory that is social media _ . Soonyoung flopped onto his sofa (that was definitely not as comfortable as Seokmin’s) and opened Instagram on his slightly cracked phone. 

 

Him and Jeonghan had followed each other out of courtesy a  _ long _ time ago, and Soonyoung had never thought much of online followings to have even considered the need to  _ unfollow _ the other despite his evil intentions. Tapping through to Jeonghan’s profile,  he scoured through the other’s following section until he saw a familiar million dollar smile present in one of the profile pictures.

 

He tapped on Seokmin’s profile and spent a good few minute stalking all the pictures present, most of them unfortunately did not include Seokmin or his glorious smile, but that just made the select few that  _ did  _ all the more special. Soonyoung followed the other and locked his phone, but received a notification only a few seconds later.

 

**_smile_idk_ ** _ has followed you back! _

 

Don’t panic, Soonyoung. You had your hand on his dick a few weeks ago, sliding into his DMs is not a big deal.

 

**kwon_ice** : How’s life

 

**smile_idk** : Better than your username, I always imagined you to be a creative person

 

Soonyoung smiled to himself even though he was just insulted.

 

**kwon_ice** : I hate social media   
**kwon_ice** : I only made this because Seungkwan made me   
**kwon_ice** : Said it’s good for marketing or somet

 

**smile_idk** : Doesn’t mean you had to half-ass the name

 

**kwon_ice** : Oh yeah? What’s so amazing about your username then?

 

**smile_idk** : If only you knew ;)   
**smile_idk** : How’s life for you though?

 

Soonyoung was puzzled at what he apparently didn’t know, but didn’t ponder on the other’s username in favour of replying.

 

**kwon_ice** : Alright, wonwoo gave me the rest of the day off and tomorrow off too   
**kwon_ice** : I realised I don’t actually have anything to do though

 

**smile_idk** : I can think of something for you to do

 

**kwon_ice** : Oh yeah? What?

 

**smile_idk** : Walk Woojoo with me? It’s been ages and I feel bad

 

That wasn’t what Soonyoung had been expecting at all but it was still an attractive invitation.

 

**kwon_ice** : Sure   
**kwon_ice** : Where should I meet you?

 

**smile_idk** : My apartment since I don’t know where you live

 

**kwon_ice** : I’ll be there in about 20 mins

 

**smile_idk** : See you soon :)

 

Soonyoung swiftly pulled himself off of the sofa and finished drying his hair with the his hair dryer, styling it slightly but not really, before grabbing his keys and heading back down in the elevator to his car. As predicted, the traffic in Seoul was as busy as always but Soonyoung knew he would be at Seokmin’s apartment within 20 minutes. Through some stroke of luck or fate, his apartment complex isn’t actually that far away from Seokmin’s.

 

A September breeze seemed to be harassing Seokmin when Soonyoung pulled into the car park at the front of the building. The aforementioned male stood facing the wind, the tails of his trench coat flapping behind him while Woojoo jumped up at his knees. Soonyoung stepped out of his car and joined the duo, skipping straight over a basic greeting to, “It’s cold as fuck.”

 

“Nice to see you too,” Seokmin chuckled, “But yeah, it is. We’re having a bad winter this year, apparently.”

 

“It’s only September.”

 

“I don’t control the weather,” Seokmin said dismissively, setting off on the walk with Woojoo trotting ahead and Soonyoung following at the side, “You look cute, by the way. Cute and cuddly.”

 

He had chosen to wear black skinny jeans to feel sexy and a random shirt. The only reason he didn’t care about which shirt was because it got completely engulfed by the woolen, yellow jumper he wore over the top if it. The jumper’s sleeves came down to his knuckles and the hem of the jumper itself stopped mid thigh. There was one zip on each shoulder and one zip on the cuff of each sleeve, purely for fashion purposes and not for any practicality. Soonyoung smiled at the compliment, “Why thank you. You just look sexy, as usual.”

 

“I think you just have a thing for trench coats,” Seokmin teased, but was completely correct.

 

Soonyoung squawked, “How did you figure that out? I’ve been friends with Wonwoo for  _ years _ and he’s never picked up on it.”

 

Seokmin winked, “I have my ways. But onto more pressing matters: kwon_ice? Really?”

 

“I chose it years ago!” Soonyoung exclaimed, exasperated, “Seungkwan made me make one just for promotional purposes and I made it so that my fans could follow me. Speaking of which, I am offended that you, a fan, weren’t following me till today?”

 

Seokmin defended himself while they rounded a corner, “I would follow you if you actually posted things. Your last post was four years ago and it’s just a video of you doing a triple axel.”

 

“It’s a glorious triple axel, you gotta admit.”

 

“It  _ is _ , but that’s not the point. I’m surprised Seungkwan hasn’t forced you to use it more if it’s to gain publicity.”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, pulling his sleeves all the way over his fingers to hide them from the cold, “He’s always got bigger things to deal with.”

 

“Oh don’t even get me started on all the current articles,” Seokmin suddenly groaned out of nowhere.

 

“What?”

 

“You don’t know?”

 

“I’ve been practicing nonstop for the past few weeks, if something’s happened then I haven’t seen it.”

 

Seokmin fished his phone out from his pocket, “When we all met for that meeting to discuss Chan, someone clearly wanted to make some cash. There were pictures of us all and parts of our conversations put online.”

 

Soonyoung took the phone from Seokmin when it was offered to him and read the titles of the articles:

 

**_TENSION ON THE ICE?_ **

 

**_OLYMPIC DREAM TEAM? OR OLYMPIC NIGHTMARE?_ **

 

**_KWON CAUGHT OFF CAMERA, NOT ALL SMILES?_ **

 

“The fuck…”

 

Seokmin took his phone back and pocketed it, “Seems like after all these years, they finally picked up on the fact that you and Jeonghan aren’t actually friends.”

 

Soonyoung snorted, “Took them long enough. Is this actually gaining any attention?”

 

“Not really? Most people aren’t really interested in what skaters do when they aren’t in the rink, to be honest. But if people click on these links or if this gets published in a newspaper, even if only in a tiny section, then someone is making money from it.”

 

“So then why’s it such a big deal?”

 

“It’s gaining attention in the skating world. Think about it; two of South Korea’s top figure skaters suddenly aren’t friends? What happened? Who’s to blame?”

 

“We were never friends in the first place,” Soonyoung grumbled.

 

“I know that, but they don’t.”

 

Soonyoung had only just realised it now, but they’d actually just walked around one block and ended up back at Seokmin’s apartment building. When Soonyoung looked up at the other with an eyebrow raised in questioning, the other replied, “Woojoo is too old and lazy to walk much further. He will just sit on the pavement and refuse to move. You can come in again or we can go out…?”

 

“Let’s go in, it’s too cold to be mindlessly traipsing around the streets,” Soonyoung declared, marching into the building ahead of Seokmin and leading the way to the elevator. He had to wait for the other to actually board the metal box, as only Seokmin possessed a key to allow him to his floor.

 

Soonyoung scooped Woojoo into his arms after feeling little paws jumping up at his legs, “How come you’re allowed a pet? Most places these days don’t allow it.”

 

“Woojoo doesn’t really make any noise and the landlord loves dogs, so I guess I just got lucky,” Seokmin explained while reaching over to ruffle Woojoo’s head.

 

“It would seem so,” Soonyoung agreed.

 

The elevator came to a clean halt and Seokmin let go of Woojoo’s lead in favour of letting it hang down from where the dog was securely embraced in Soonyoung’s arms. He unlocked the door, let the fluffy pair in, and then locked it again behind them. Soonyoung allowed Woojoo to run off to what was no doubt a bed before removing his shoes. He heard a gasp come from Seokmin and turned to him in concern, “What?”

 

“Your hair,” Seokmin pointed out after a beat of silence, picking some strands up and letting them flutter back into place, “It’s purple.”

 

“Took you long enough to notice,” the skated joked, stepping away from Seokmin and closer to his sofa.

 

“It was too dark outside for me to see. It is a very dark purple,” Seokmin pointed out while following suit and taking a seat next to the other, “It looks nice.”

 

“Thank you. How come you aren’t training Jeonghan?”

 

“He’s doing fitness training with Seungcheol for the rest of the day.”

 

Soonyoung nodded in understanding and fetched his vibrating phone from his pocket. He’d received a message containing an image from Seungkwan, his overly enthusiastic PR manager, with the ever so polite caption:  _ What the fuck are you doing?! _

 

When Soonyoung opened the image he discovered that it was a photo of him and Seokmin walking Woojoo from around 10 minutes ago. Seungkwan had attached a link to an article titled ‘ _ Friendly competition? _ ’ and Soonyoung skim read it with a concentrated face before offering the phone to Seokmin who groaned upon realising that they were the topic of the article.

 

“Don’t journalists have anything better to do?” he complained while passing the phone back to Soonyoung, who shrugged.

 

“It is kinda weird, to be honest. A skater hanging out with a competitor's coach.”

 

“Maybe we’re just discussing the Olympics.”

 

“From the pictures we are very clearly just walking your dog,” Soonyoung stated dryly, “Also, if we were discussing the Olympics then Wonwoo and Jeonghan would be with us.”

 

“How do we respond to this then?”

 

“We don’t,” Soonyoung proclaimed, dropping his phone back onto the sofa, “Seungkwan will deal with it.”

 

Seokmin laughed, a low sound that vibrated from his chest, “I’d hate to be your PR manager. Poor Seungkwan.”

 

“What a tragic life he lives,” Soonyoung mused sarcastically before being interrupted by the impatient growling of his stomach, which Seokmin heard.

 

“Have you not eaten?”

 

“Nope. I was going to eat once I got back to my place but then I ended up here.”

 

“Do you want me to make you something?” Seokmin asked, already standing up and stretching to his full height with several satisfying cracks.

 

“No, it’s fine,” Soonyoung shook his hands in front of him in opposition, “You don’t need to make me anything if you’ve already eaten.”

 

“It’s no problem, really, I like cooking,” he beckoned the other with a finger and they both headed to the rather small, mostly clean kitchen, “What do you want?”

 

“Uh, surprise me?”

 

“Alright. You like chicken?”

 

Soonyoung looked offended, “Is that a serious question?”

 

“You could be allergic,” Seokmin shrugged in defence, rummaging around in his fridge and freezer, “Anything you absolutely won’t eat?”

 

“Nah, I’m pretty easy to please. Do you want me to help?”

 

“Can do,” Seokmin decided, “Cut these up and I’ll do the chicken.”

 

Seokmin placed some spring onions and garlic cloves on a wooden chopping board before fishing an appropriate knife out of one of the drawers and passing it to Soonyoung. He then turned back around to work at the parallel counter while Soonyoung began peeling the garlic after chopping the ends off. Stood back to back they ended up enveloped in a stagnant silence filled only with the hum of a microwave hard at work and a knife hitting the chopping board every now and then.

 

Seokmin went to fetch his phone from where he’d left it in the living room, “Any music requests or can I just play whatever?”

 

“Play what you want,” Soonyoung responded, not looking up from one stubborn clove that simply would not allow him to peel it, “It’s your house.”

 

“Apartment,” Seokmin corrected, “And you’re my guest, but alright.”

 

The music Seokmin played from the small speaker on the bottom of his phone was drowned out occasionally by the sound of oil crackling or a particularly determined slice of the knife, but Soonyoung liked the other’s taste in music. The songs were mainly chilled, some even lazy, and they created a very comfortable atmosphere. They gave Soonyoung the idea that Seokmin is the type of person who would rather listen to obscure artists than mainstream celebrities, but he can’t be sure.

 

“Have you chopped everything yet?”

 

“I finished a while ago. I only had to chop two spring onions and four garlic cloves, it wasn’t exactly a hard task.”

 

Seokmin turned around to look at Soonyoung, only to find the other sat on the counter looking at him, “Then what have you been doing?”

 

“Watching you cook and appreciating your taste in music?”

 

The coach stared at him for a moment, digesting the response before shrugging and turning back to the half-done chicken, “Fair enough.”

 

Soonyoung continued to sit on the counter and watch Seokmin from behind while the other stuck two packets of instant rice in the microwave with the explanation that he couldn’t be bothered to use the rice cooker. He removed the chicken from the wok and put the garlic and spring onions in instead for a minute, before adding the chicken back in and then realising something.

 

“Shit. I forgot the carrot.”

 

“Carrot?”

 

“I love carrots and I need to grate one, move your legs please.”

 

Soonyoung swivelled his legs to the side so that Seokmin could fetch the grater from the cupboard below him. He then watched Seokmin cut the ends off and grate the carrot like a madman before also putting it into the wok. After that, he grabbed a mug and poured soy sauce and sugar into it, mixing and adding some water before pouring about half of it into the wok.

 

He continued to stir the concoction. Soonyoung asked, “What exactly are you making?”

 

“I have no idea. I’ve made it before though, it’s nice, I promise.”

 

“I’ll believe you,” Soonyoung said, as if he was being forced to utter the words.

 

“Thank you. Now here,” Seokmin passed his phone to Soonyoung, “I want to know what music taste you have so I can decide whether this relationship is going to work or not.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed in amusement and then realised the phone was locked, “I don’t know your passcode.”

 

“0-5-2-6,” Seokmin told him without a second of hesitation.

 

Soonyoung unlocked the device and then pondered for a while on what to play. Like Seokmin, he also listens to mainly obscure artists instead of chart music, yet his favourite singer is anything but obscure. He decided to play his favourites from his favourite singer with the belief that if Seokmin didn’t like it then Seokmin must be educated in proper music.

 

After the first few beats of music, Seokmin turned around with a somewhat shocked expression, “Why are you playing this?”

 

“He’s my favourite singer? Why?” Soonyoung asked defensively, ready to fight the other if he said anything negative about his idol.

 

“No reason,” Seokmin said turning back to the wok, smile extremely evident in his voice even if Soonyoung couldn’t slightly see the side of his cheek rise.

 

“Why are you smiling so much?” 

 

“No reason,” he sing-songed, getting the rice from the microwave and adding it into the wok along with the rest of the soy sauce/sugar mixture, “I’m happy, can’t I smile?”

 

“Why are you suddenly so happy?” Soonyoung enquired, hopping off of the counter to peer around at the other’s expression, “You look like you just won the lottery or something. It’s kinda concerning.”

 

“I’m just happy,” the other insisted, mixing the food in the wok to coat it all in the dark sauce.

 

“So suddenly?”

 

“Is there a problem with that?”

 

“No...not really? Do you like him too or something?”

 

“Who?”

 

“Dokyeom? Who else,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes, hopping up onto the counter next to the stove where he could actually look at the other face to face.

 

“Not really,” Seokmin responded, biting his tongue slightly to try stop himself from smiling, “I haven’t really listened to his music.”

 

“Haven’t listened to his music?” Soonyoung repeated in offence, “Have you been living under a rock?”

 

Seokmin fetched two plates from the cupboard, “Nah, I just don’t get the hyper around him, you know?”

 

“I absolutely do  _ not _ know! That man deserves all the hype in the world. Have you even heard his voice? It just makes me wanna,” Soonyoung ended there and clenched his fists in front of him.

 

“Makes you wanna what? Fight someone?”

 

“No,” Soonyoung drawled, “It just makes me wanna do something. I don’t know how to describe it. It makes me wish I could sing like that.”

 

“I bet you can sing well,” Seokmin deduced, plating up their food before carrying it through to the table in the living room with a ranting Soonyoung following him with his phone still playing music quietly.

 

“Nah. But back to Dokyeom, does his voice not make you want to make yourself a better person?”

 

Seokmin chuckled and returned to the kitchen to acquire a can of coke for each of them, “That’s a bit extreme. Why do you like him so much?”

 

Soonyoung cracked the can open and gulped some of the fizzy liquid down before sighing like he was about to tell an epic tale, “Well; he has an amazing voice, he writes his own songs, he donates to charity all the time, he always interacts with fans, he’s just such a nice person how could you not love him?”

 

“You don’t even know what he looks like,” Seokmin pointed out before shovelling some chicken into his mouth.

 

Dokyeom may be an artist recognised internationally by many prestigious award shows and other esteemed professionals, but only digitally. He’s always been completely anonymous and absolutely no one knows what he looks like. Many people speculate that he isn’t good looking and therefore wouldn’t’ve made it big if he showed himself to the public, but Soonyoung isn’t very fond of that opinion as no one given a voice that heavenly would look anything short of an angel.

 

“I don’t support him because of how he looks, I support him because I like his music,” Soonyoung declared wisely, “By the way, this food is amazing. I thought it wasn’t going to be that nice because of all the soy sauce but damn it’s really sweet? But not too sweet? I love it.”

 

Seokmin’s smile widened, “Thank you. And that’s very good of you, a lot of people are very shallow and probably wouldn’t support him if he didn’t look appealing.”

 

“Those people can choke,” Soonyoung decided after another sip of coke, “Beauty is subjective anyway.”

 

“Indeed it is. Also, if you’re wondering why I’m eating too, it’s because I only ate soup earlier because I have a sore throat.”

 

“I was wondering,” Soonyoung admitted, and then wiggled his eyebrows, “What have you been doing to end up with a sore throat?”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes in fond amusement, “Nothing out of the ordinary. Just talking too much probably, or maybe from shouting at Jeonghan across the rink.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in thought, suddenly scrutinising the other, “Shame. I bet you are a good singer.”

 

Seokmin inhaled some rice and choked, downed some coke in swift gulps and croaked out, “What makes you think that?”

 

“You just look like you’d be able to sing.”

 

“Nah,” Seokmin denied resolutely, “I’m tone deaf.”

 

“Bullshit.”

 

“I’m serious.”

 

“You’re lying.”

 

“Yeah okay I am. But I can’t sing.”

 

“Well you’ll have to prove that to me when your throat is better.”

 

“Will do.”

 

They finished their meal with small bursts of animate conversation and short sessions of comfortable silence. Soonyoung kept getting excited when the next Dokyeom song came on, and Seokmin just kept smiling while the skater dissected the music and explained why he loved each track. Seokmin took their dishes to the kitchen and left them in the sink to soak while Soonyoung took himself to the sofa and lay on it, phone in hand and thumb scrolling aimlessly.

 

When Seokmin reappeared in the living room and took a seat after lifting Soonyoung’s feet up and then placing them on his lap, Soonyoung asked, “Wanna give Seungkwan a heart attack?”

 

Seokmin frowned in thought and then shrugged with his face, “Yeah, sure. What do you have in mind?”

 

Soonyoung sat up and snuggled into Seokmin’s side, opening the camera on his phone, “You know you were complaining earlier that I never upload on Instagram…”

 

“...You want to upload a picture of us together?”

 

Soonyoung nodded happily, pleased that they’re on the same page, “Can we?”

 

“Of course we can.”

 

Soonyoung held the camera out in front of him, up and slightly to the side, “You know this could be bad publicity for both of us, right?”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “Fuck it. Nothing interesting happens in the skating world anway and in the wise words of that dude: any publicity is good publicity.”

 

“By ‘that dude’ do you mean Oscar Wilde?”

 

“Maybe?”

 

“I think you do, thought I don’t think those were his literal words. Anyway, picture time.”

 

They took a variety of photos that all looked the same but actually had slight differences in their expression or the position of their hands. The one Soonyoung selected was an image in which both of them had their lips pursed, Soonyoung held up a V-sign with his free hand while his other held the phone. Seokmin had an arm around the back of Soonyoung resting on the back of the sofa and did a V-sign in front of Soonyoung’s head, and with his other hand did another V-sign in front of his own face.

 

They looked like friends more than anything; but they definitely didn’t look like a skater and said skater’s rival’s coach. Soonyoung edited the picture accordingly and uploaded it without a second thought and without a caption. Immediately after, he switched his phone to silent and instructed Seokmin to do the same, “We’ll let everyone freak out and sort it out tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow? Who invited you to stay the night?” Seokmin asked in amusement.

 

“You’re not gonna throw me out, are you?” Soonyoung enquired innocently, turning his head to look up at the other with the most pitiful expression he could muster.

 

“Never. I wouldn’t feed you to the swarm or reporters that are probably camping outside the building.”

 

“My hero,” Soonyoung stated playfully before spinning himself over to be sitting in the other’s lap in the exact same position as last time.

 

“This is familiar,” Seokmin smiled.

 

“Mhmm,” Soonyoung hummed in response, leaning in and kissing Seokmin softly a few times before the other picked him up and maneuvered them into a lying position instead. Soonyoung sighed softly at being lowered onto the sofa so gently, Seokmin hovering over him with their legs slotted together in a tangle of bent limbs.

 

Seokmin gently kissed along Soonyoung’s jaw and down his neck while the latter had his fingers lazily threaded through strands of Seokmin’s hair. Seokmin’s hands wandered under Soonyoung’s shirt and made him shiver as they were cold against his skin. He moved further down and peppered kisses on the skater’s toned abdomen and navel. Before going any further, he looked up at the other and noticed that he was blinking already half-lidded eyes. Seokmin crawled back over the other and asked fondly, “Are you tired?”

 

Soonyoung blinked up at him through bleary eyes, “No.”

 

“You definitely are,” Seokmin smiled lovingly at the discovery.

 

“M’not,” Soonyoung mumbled.

 

Seokmin kissed him affectionately once more, “You could’ve just told me.”

 

“I’m not tired. Please continue with whatever you were doing, it felt nice,” he mumbled with determination.

 

Seokmin lifted himself off of the other and then scooped him up into a bridal style hold, “Nope, if you’re tired then you’re going to sleep.”

 

“I’m not tired,” Soonyoung whined quietly, leaning his head on Seokmin’s chest and closing his eyes without putting up any kind of physical protest to what was happening.

 

“Sure thing,” Seokmin agreed to appease the other. He used his foot to open his door and placed Soonyoung into the plush double bed where Woojoo immediately assaulted his face with friendly licks. Soonyoung moaned in a mixture of pleasure at the comfiness of the bed and then also in annoyance at Woojoo’s unwanted affection, “He’s just trying to love you.”

 

“His breath stinks,” Soonyoung pouted sadly, still being licked by the excited dog.

 

Seokmin watched the scene with a strange affinity rooting itself in him. He closed the curtains since it was already dark outside, the sun had long since set before 9pm, and then he turned a small lamp on instead to find that Woojoo had snuggled himself into Soonyoung’s chest and settled down. He then walked around to the side of the bed where the pair lay curled up and removed the covers that Soonyoung had already buried himself under, causing the aforementioned to groan in disapproval, “I’m not letting you sleep in skinny jeans. You’ll end up with all kinds of wacky indentations on your legs.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t protest while the other peeled the pants off of him and seemed already half asleep by the time Seokmin got into bed himself, dressed in sweatpants and a random, oversized shirt. Considering that it was only 9pm, Seokmin was nowhere near tired enough to be able to fall asleep just yet, and so he busied himself with a book since Soonyoung had practically banned him from his phone until tomorrow.

 

After a chapter or so, a quiet yet thoughtful voice broke the silence, “Seokmin?”

 

He put his bookmark into the book at looked to Soonyoung, who he had presumed to be already in a deep sleep, “Yeah?”

 

“C’mere,” Soonyoung demanded sleepily, Woojoo lying in his embrace in a dreamland.

 

Seokmin put his book on the bedside table and lay down closer to the pair, his face a few inches from Soonyoung’s since Woojoo is only a tiny dog. He brought a hand up to stroke Woojoo softly and asked again, “Yeah?”

 

“What are we?”

 

Seokmin huffed a quiet laugh, “I think you’re too tired to have this conversation.”

 

“Am not. I’ve been thinking about it while you’ve been reading and I decided I might as well just ask instead of suffering in silence.”

 

The elder didn’t reply immediately and they just stared at each other for a few moments in the silence of the night before he asked tenderly, “What do you want us to be?”

 

“Dating?” Soonyoung asked hesitantly in a whisper, “But if you don’t want that then that’s fine, I mean we’ve only seen each other twice but I just feel really comfortable around you and it’s nice and yeah.”

 

Soonyoung cut himself off in fear of embarrassing himself by spilling everything he likes about the other. Seokmin chuckled at the apprehension in Soonyoung’s voice, “Soonyoung.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really,” Seokmin confirmed with a doting kiss, “Now please go to sleep. I can literally see your fatigue.”

 

Soonyoung hummed happily and closed his eyes, muttering, “You’re my boyfriend.”

 

“I am, and you’re mine.”

 

“I’m yours.”

 

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are very much loved and if I don't reply it will be because I am busy revising or sat in an exam :( but I will reply to you at some point!! I always do :D
> 
> Updates will be the 17th of every month (cuz u kno,,,,seventeen,,,heheheusjhgi) until I finish my exams on the 21st of June and then I'm freEEE and can write all I want for a few months, so updates will become more frequent then! Thank you for supporting this story, and if you could do some cheeky promo for me and recommend this to your friends,,,I'd love you forever <3 ;) There aren't nearly enough seoksoon fics n it makes me sad :((
> 
> to that one person following the spotify playlist...u the real mvp <3
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


	3. Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently ankle deep in exams but thankfully much less stressed than I thought I would be so that's good :) And thank you for 100+ kudos :D <3 I hope you enjoyyy this chapter which is 10K+! Sorry for any typos, I have proofread many times but some stuff escapes my notice when I'm reading at 2am lmao
> 
> They watch train to busan in here somewhere but there are no spoilers so do not worry!
> 
> Mine - Bazzi ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/7uzmGiiJyRfuViKKK3lVmR?si=-Ad5s8E8RjG_nK2y7UN09w) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gvweJDAIGE)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

The lone, persistent ray of light leaking through the gap between the curtains was one factor that contributed to Soonyoung waking up at the ungodly hour of 6am, considering it was his day off. The other factor was his body clock that decided to jolt him awake at that same hour every single day.

 

However, waking up next to someone was something Soonyoung deeply treasured. He has never been able to fall asleep easily with other conscious people in the room; probably due to the trauma of waking up to find that his face had been used as a canvas several times as a child.

 

Using Seokmin’s arm as a pillow with his nose nestled into the coach’s neck, Soonyoung was content, to say the least. Woojoo was no longer snuggled into his chest so that left him snuggled into Seokmin’s chest instead. Seokmin smelled nice and warm, a homely scent that Soonyoung would love to bury himself in, and so he sighed in delight, moving even closer to the sleeping other.

 

As much as he loved to be awake and aware of how comfy he currently was, Soonyoung desperately wanted to go back to sleep. Having a whole day off is something that doesn’t happen that often, which means that having the time to sleep in is a luxury Soonyoung almost never has. Out of habit, his body and mind were already geared up for hours of early morning practice, so Soonyoung ended up scrunching his face in frustration at his futile attempts to get back to sleep.

 

Eventually he decided to roll over and risk waking up Seokmin to see if that would allow him to return to slumber. It didn’t. He huffed through his nose in frustration and wriggled back a little to be closer to Seokmin and his warmth. After all his fidgeting the only thing he had accomplished was managing to wake Seokmin up, as he discovered when a soft voice asked from behind, “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine, just can’t sleep. Sorry for waking you up.”

 

“S’fine,” Seokmin mumbled into the back of his head, “Why can’t you sleep?”

 

“I wake up this early out of habit.”

 

“What time is it?”

 

“About six-thirty.”

 

“What the fuck, go to sleep,” Seokmin insisted, tightening his previously loose hold around Soonyoung’s waist to drag the other back to dreamland, his other arm still a limp pillow for the skater.

 

“I’ve been trying for half an hour,” Soonyoung complained in a whine.

 

Seokmin hummed in thought and took that long to answer that Soonyoung thought he had fallen back asleep, “Roll over. Face me.”

 

Soonyoung did as instructed with a series of low grumbles at having to now find a comfy position again while facing the other, “What?”

 

Seokmin kissed him in a slow and lazy manner before stopping and nuzzling into his hair like an affectionate feline.

 

“I just thought this might help you sleep,” he explained before sneaking a hand under Soonyoung’s shirt and along his back.

 

His hand was warmer than Soonyoung expected and his own back was more sensitive than he would’ve thought. Seokmin stroked along his spine in slow movements; starting from the deepest section of his lower back all the way up to the centre of his shoulder blades. Soonyoung arched into the touch and sighed softly.

 

“Does it feel nice? My mother used to do it to me as a child and it helped me sleep, I have no idea why though.”

 

Soonyoung could only hum in agreement due to the other scraping his short nails along his side so delicately it made his skin burn. Soonyoung is no novice to relationships, but none of his past lovers (even the long term ones) had ever made him feel so utterly appreciated. The caress was so simple yet it made Soonyoung shiver, it made him hyper aware of every nerve in his back and side, and it made him feel warm, loved.

 

Thinking back on it, Soonyoung wasn’t sure anyone had ever treated him so gently before; not that most of them didn’t treat him right, but no one had ever made him feel so admired, so adored through such a simple action.

 

The soft whisper of skin on skin became a sweet lullaby for Soonyoung, as Seokmin has hoped, and the placid skater finally returned to slumber after several minutes. Although Soonyoung’s next session of sleep didn’t last for long, he greatly appreciated Seokmin’s efforts and enjoyed the short nap he spent enveloped in warmth while Seokmin traced lazy shapes into his skin.

 

Soonyoung lifted Seokmin’s arm off of him and slipped out of the bed, the icy air nipping at his bare legs while he checked his phone to find that it was seven-thirty; at least Seokmin had helped him to sleep for another hour. He found his jeans folded on top of a barren desk and slipped them on, wondering why he was still wearing his shirt and sweater but not his jeans. He shrugged and headed out of the room towards the kitchen where he got himself a glass of water.

 

After gulping down the liquid and visiting the bathroom, Soonyoung went back to Seokmin’s room and was joined by a surprisingly energetic Woojoo that kept jumping up at his knees with little yaps. Soonyoung scooped the pup into his arms and pointed at Seokmin still in bed, “Shhh, he’s sleeping.”

 

Woojoo barked in response and Soonyoung gave him a stern stare, making Woojoo’s jittering cease. The dog looked at Soonyoung with expectancy and Soonyoung shrugged, “I don’t know where your food is.”

 

Woojoo barked again at the mention of food and this time Soonyoung walked back out of the bedroom, shut the door behind him with a quiet click, and put Woojoo down, “Okay. Show me where the food is.”

 

Understanding completely, Woojoo padded across the wooden floor at the fastest speed Soonyoung has ever seen him move. When Soonyoung rounded the corner into the kitchen and caught up with Woojoo, he found the canine staring at one of the lower cupboards, and upon opening the cupboard, he found the tins of food.

 

Next, Woojoo led him to his bowl, where he waited patiently before Soonyoung emptied the can into the plastic dish. As soon as the skater stood back up, Woojoo shoved his face into the bowl, seemingly to never resurface. Soonyoung left the empty can on the counter in case it was meant to be recycled and then threw himself onto the sofa in a dramatic display of exasperation at having nothing to do.

 

He pondered for a while, some ideas being tossed out of his head faster than others, and came to narrow it down to three options: play with Woojoo, play on his phone, or wake Seokmin up. Option one was extremely tempting but Woojoo was still eating, option two would suffice but it would consist of only mindless scrolling, and in order to obtain his phone he would have to go back to Seokmin’s room which would most likely lead to option three - waking Seokmin up.

 

After weighing out the pros and cons in his head, Soonyoung decided that waking the other up would be better than just letting him wake up alone for multiple reasons. He could think that Soonyoung got up and left or he could doubt that what Soonyoung said last night was true. Considering what the coach said about feeling lonely sometimes in such a big apartment, and considering that Soonyoung himself felt so secure and loved waking up in a warm embrace, Soonyoung trotted back to the bedroom, a glass of water in hand.

 

He put the glass down and lay back in the vacant space left by his departure, head back on Seokmin’s arm with the only difference being that he wasn’t under the covers, “Seokmin, wake up.”

 

Soonyoung repeated the words several times, equally as affectionate with every iterance, and was fondly amused at the slurred excuses that the other tried to make in order to sleep for longer. Seokmin scrunched his face in protest as if that would block out the sound of Soonyoung’s voice, and he also pulled the other closer with both arms, trapping the skater, “Five more minutes.”

 

Soonyoung wriggled free easily thanks to Seokmin’s lagging limbs. He jabbed the other in the stomach with no mercy, “Wake up.”

 

“No,” Seokmin groaned in annoyance, snuggling the covers up to his face before completely rolling over to face the opposite direction.

 

Huffing at the challenge, Soonyoung got off of the bed and walked around to the other side, kneeling down so their faces were at the same height but different angles, “Get up.”

 

Sideways Seokmin curled up in protest, “No.”

 

“I’m hungry and I can’t cook,” Soonyoung drawled, mimicking the tone of the other’s voice.

 

“There’s instant rice in the cupboard.”

 

“You would rather me, your boyfriend, eat instant rice after his first night here instead of a lovely cooked meal?”

 

At the mention of the title boyfriend, a tired face appeared from under the bundle of covers with a slightly guilty look, “No…?”

 

Soonyoung clapped, “Then get up.”

 

A hand appeared from under the covers, “Help me up.”

 

Clueless, Soonyoung stood up with an eye roll and grabbed onto the extended hand with the intention of pulling, not being pulled. Seokmin yanked him back onto the bed, laughing at the disorientated skater now in his embrace, “How did you not see that coming?”

 

“I trusted you,” Soonyoung said in dazed betrayal.

 

“Aw,” Seokmin cooed in pity, kissing Soonyoung on the forehead, “I’m sorry.”

 

Soonyoung tried to lean away from the affection as a protest but failed and huffed, “I accept your apology, but only if you get up and make me food.”

 

“Alright,” Seokmin caved in with a sigh, hauling himself out of bed and following Soonyoung into the kitchen where the latter perched on the counter again, “What do you want?”

 

“What you got?” Soonyoung asked through a yawn, trying to cross his feet under him until Seokmin halted him.

 

“No feet on the counter. I have cereal or toast or…” he trailed off, peeking into various cupboards and the fridge, “Wow, that’s it. I really need to go shopping.”

 

Soonyoung nodded in understanding, “Me too, and I’d like some toast, please.”

 

Seokmin spoke while preparing their breakfast, “I was going to go shopping the other day but I ended up training Jeonghan longer than I had planned, and now I just can’t be bothered to go.”

 

Soonyoung hummed, “Same, kinda. I’m always too tired or sore to bother going but Wonwoo keeps me alive so it’s okay.”

 

“I’ll have to thank him,” Seokmin flirted with a smile, causing Soonyoung to huff a laugh before he gave him a quick kiss, “Neither of us brushed our teeth last night.”

 

“Oh believe me, I noticed,” Soonyoung laughed, referring to the lingering soy chicken taste of their kiss, “You taste sweet.”

 

“As do you,” Seokmin murmured, stealing another quick peck before turning around to the fridge, “What do you want on your toast? Just butter?”

 

“Yeah, please,” Soonyoung watched the other retrieve the item and stand in front of the toaster in wait, “Also, why did I wake up not wearing my jeans?”

 

“You were sleepy and looked comfy so I took them off for you.”

 

“Ah,” Soonyoung exclaimed in a low exhale while the memory came back, “But why didn’t you take the rest of my clothes off?”

 

Seokmin turned to look at him with an amused eyebrow raise and asked in a mischievous tone, “Why? Did you want me to?”

 

Soonyoung attempted to give the other a playful kick in the thigh but couldn't reach from his position on the counter, “I was just wondering.”

 

Seokmin jumped slightly at the toast popping out of the machine and Soonyoung found it adorable, “To take your shirts off I would’ve had to lift you up and you looked comfy, and also Woojoo was cuddled up to you and I didn’t want to disturb him.”

 

“How thoughtful of you,” Soonyoung commented while Seokmin took a piece of toast out and buttered it while holding it by the edges, bread suspended above his open palm.

 

“I am a thoughtful person,” he confirmed, handing the slice to Soonyoung who accepted it with a small thank you and a short laugh.

 

“No plates?”

 

“Nah,” Seokmin responded, buttering another slice for himself, “It doesn’t take long to eat a slice of toast, and this way it means the only thing I have to wash is this knife.”

 

“Wow, that’s kinda smart.”

 

“You’ve bagged yourself a thoughtful, smart boyfriend who can cook, aren’t you lucky?” Seokmin teased, handing Soonyoung his second and final slice.

 

Soonyoung smiled sincerely, “The luckiest.”

 

Seokmin returned the smile with a heightened brightness radiating from the expression, masking a hidden shyness, and he was about to speak before a ring of the doorbell drew him out of the kitchen and towards the intercom.

 

Soonyoung hopped off of the counter and followed Seokmin, who pressed a button on the small machine, “Who is it?”

 

“Jeonghan. Let me in.”

 

Seokmin knew that the voice was Jeonghan’s and he allowed the other access to his floor and door. The pair went back to the kitchen so Seokmin could collect his final slice of toast before they moved to settle on the sofa, Soonyoung’s legs over Seokmin’s lap while the skater lay sprawled across the sofa, “What does Jeonghan want?”

 

“No idea,” Seokmin said around a mouthful of toast, very attractive, “He doesn’t usually just show up here.”

 

“That’s concerning?” Soonyoung questioned himself and his judgement.

 

“Yeah, it’s probably something we should worry about,” Seokmin said casually, sucking some butter off of his finger.

 

“Like what?”

 

“Drama with Seungcheol? His ass doesn’t look good in his new outfit? Something like that.”

 

Soonyoung chuckled, “Sounds very worrying.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

When the door opened with a force and they glanced over, expecting to see an annoyed Jeonghan, they were perplexed by what they saw. Jeonghan was there, as he had said, but he was joined by Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Chan and Mingyu. The only one missing was Jihoon. Soonyoung sprung apart from Seokmin like he’d been caught in the act by his parents and younger sibling at the same time.

 

Wonwoo stormed over to crouch in front of Soonyoung, “Are you okay?”

 

Soonyoung blinked at him, very confused, “Yeah...Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

Wonwoo glanced to Seokmin who was just lounging in the other corner of the sofa, the latter offered a small wave and Wonwoo looked back to Soonyoung, “Why are you here?”

 

“Why are _you_ here, is a better question,” Seokmin directed at Wonwoo.

 

“I’m making sure that my friend is okay, if that’s alright with you,” Wonwoo countered defensively.

 

Soonyoung raised an eyebrow, “I really don’t understand why you think I’d be not fine.”

 

Jeonghan interrupted Wonwoo before the coach could even begin speaking, “He flipped when he saw your post on Insta and demanded that I bring you here.”

 

“Why the entourage?” Seokmin asked, gesturing to the group.

 

“We’re all confused,” Mingyu spoke up.

 

“About…?” Soonyoung prompted.

 

“Are you two fucking?” Wonwoo asked bluntly, straight to the point.

 

“No, we’re dating but not fucking, yet,” Soonyoung added, much to Wonwoo’s horror.

 

“You’re _dating_?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Not _fucking_?”

 

“No. Well, I gave him a han—”

 

“ _Stop_. Right. Okay. Why are you dating?”

 

The couple looked at each other in confusion, Soonyoung responded, “Because we like each other…?”

 

“And you’ve been dating since when?”

 

“Last night,” Seokmin responded.

 

“Since _last night_ ,” Wonwoo emphasised, “And you’ve already done _stuff_.”

 

“He gave me a handjob,” Seokmin said with an eye roll, “You can say it out loud without God smiting you, don’t worry.”

 

Wonwoo glared at him but didn’t respond, he looked back to Soonyoung, “Don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged indifferently, “I don’t know?”

 

“You might not be compatible,” Wonwoo pointed out while Jeonghan and Seungcheol left to raid the kitchen, “Do you know what he likes? What he doesn’t like? Do you know _anything_ about him?”

 

“I am right here,” Seokmin said, and was ignored.

 

“The point is we are dating _now_ so I can get to know him _now.”_

 

“What if he was an asshole in the past? What if he’s a secret asshole now? What then?”

 

Soonyoung seemed overwhelmed by Wonwoo’s constant pestering so Seokmin spoke in a more authoritative tone, “Listen. I don’t know why you’re acting like his mother and I have no place to ask, but Soonyoung is an adult and isn’t stupid. He can make his own choices regarding his own lovelife without your interrogation.”

 

Wonwoo rocked back on his heels and came to be sat cross-legged on the floor, “You listen. Soonyoung is my best friend and suddenly, after literal years, he uploads a photo on IG with _you_ , his rival’s coach. Articles are made showing you two walking a dog and then articles state that Soonyoung never left this place all night, what am I supposed to think? It’s just weird and I was worried. I still am worried, you know how coming out as gay would affect your career, Soonyoung.”

 

The skater sighed, “We literally just uploaded a selfie, it ain’t like we leaked a sex tape.”

 

“He’s got a point,” Mingyu pointed out, earning a stern look from Wonwoo.

 

“People are talking. They now think you don’t like Jeonghan and then the next day you’re seen out with Jeonghan’s coach and you don’t leave all night? It’s just weird.”

 

“I’ll admit that it is weird but it is more likely that they think we are doing something regarding the Olympics rather than doing each other,” Soonyoung stated and then ensured, “But I’m here because I want to be.”

 

“You’re _sure_.”

 

“Positive.”

 

“Why am I here?” Chan questioned awkwardly from where he loitered by the door.

 

“If we left you with Jihoon then one of you would be dead by the time we got back,” Mingyu explained to the younger, who shrugged in understanding.

 

Wonwoo stood up and turned to Seokmin, “Can I speak to you for a minute?”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Alone.”

 

Seokmin got up with a roll of his eyes and led the two to another room with a confused expression thrown at Soonyoung, the latter called out playfully, “Don’t scare him too much, Wonwoo.”

 

“No promises.”

 

Chan took Seokmin’s place on the sofa and threw his feet up onto Soonyoung’s lap, to which the latter shoved them off before Chan questioned with genuine curiosity, “You’re seriously going out with him?”

 

“Yes. Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?”

 

Mingyu perched on the sofa at the other side of Soonyoung and spoke in a low voice,  “Because you hate Jeonghan and he’s Jeonghan’s coach.”

 

“Doesn’t mean I hate _him_ too, and have you seen him? I’m amazed he was single until now,” Soonyoung said in awe, visualising Seokmin’s perfect smile, “Also, he’s my fanboy anyway.”

 

“What?” Mingyu and Chan questioned in unison.

 

“He said that Jeonghan complains because he apparently watches me more than Jeonghan,” Soonyoung mused happily.

 

“You sure he doesn’t just find you physically attractive?” Mingyu required in concern for Soonyoung’s easily loving heart.

 

“Nah. If you just wanna fuck someone you wouldn’t exactly stop pleasuring them just because they’re a bit tired, but he did.”

 

“I did _not_ need to visualise that,” Chan complained.

 

Soonyoung shrugged with mirth, “He was just kissing me in various places, I don’t know what you were imagining.”

 

Before Chan could defend himself and his state of mind, Jeonghan and Seungcheol came back from the kitchen empty-handed. Seungcheol took a seat on the floor opposite the sofa, back against the wall and legs spread wide, and then Jeonghan situated himself in front of Seungcheol with his back to the other’s chest before blaming Soonyoung for the lack of food, “If you’re gonna date _my_ _coach_ , you could at least not eat all of his food.”

 

Soonyoung held up two fingers, “I’ve had two meals here and no snacks. If you’re gonna come to _my boyfriend’s_ apartment just for food, then you can see yourself out.”

 

Jeonghan seemed to not like the challenge to his authority and looked as though he would stand up to make himself appear more intimidating, but Seungcheol held him around the waist affectionately, and so he stayed put, “If you’re gonna act like you own the place just because you’re bouncing on _my coach’s_ dick, then you can think again.”

 

Soonyoung scowled at the other but didn’t get the chance to reply due to the appearance of Seokmin and Wonwoo. His coach gave Soonyoung the usual smile he flashes whenever they greet each other silently, a slight rise of the corners of the lips, but Seokmin looked concerned and somewhat agitated. Soonyoung can’t recall a time when he’d seen the other look so serious and he can’t help but wonder what Wonwoo spoke to him about.

 

Seokmin directed his question to everyone in the room, “Does anyone have a problem with this relationship?”

 

Jeonghan raised his hand, “You can’t put him before me just because you’re going out with him.”

 

“I won’t. My personal life and business life are separate and they’ll stay that way, maybe even more so now,” and when no one else raised any objections, Seokmin commanded, “This relationship is secret, not that I think any of you would want to tell anyone else anyway because it would affect all of us in some way, but I just wanted to make that extremely clear.”

 

“What about the rumours about you two? And the ones about Soonyoung and Jeonghan?” Seungcheol raised, chin perched on Jeonghan’s shoulder.

 

“If we deal with the ones about Jeonghan and Soonyoung then the others should get sorted out,” Mingyu stated, “All we have to do is prove that Jeonghan and Soonyoung are friends. Then it would make sense for Soonyoung to have a connection to Seokmin.”

 

Soonyoung glanced at Jeonghan, “How do we prove that?”

 

“Same way you did for Seokmin,” Chan shrugged, handing Soonyoung his own phone.

 

Soonyoung took it and rolled his eyes, opening the camera app, “Come here.”

 

Seungcheol shoved Jeonghan up to his feet when the latter displayed no intention of getting up. Begrudgingly, Jeonghan joined Soonyoung in the camera’s view and put an arm around the other’s shoulders. They both smiled and Jeonghan threw up a peace sign. Soonyoung took only one picture and deemed it enough before separating himself from Jeonghan and editing the image. He uploaded it instantly, again with no caption, “Done.”

 

After a beat of silence, Seokmin who was still standing due to lack of space on the sofa, ordered the others to leave in the form of a question, “Can you all leave now?”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “Yeah. Seungkwan is waiting for me anyway and I have to calm him down before he tracks down Soonyoung and beats him into next season.”

 

Wonwoo appeared to be the driver, as with a jangle of his keys the rest of the group rose to their feet at leasirely paces and followed the coach out of the apartment with polite farewells leaving their lips. When they were all gone and the door’s lock could be heard engaging, Seokmin sat himself next to Soonyoung on the sofa and hugged the other to his chest.

 

Slightly perplexed, Soonyoung murmured into the fabric of Seokmin’s shirt that was crumpled with sleep, “Not that I’m complaining, but why are we hugging?”

 

“I just wanted to hug you,” Seokmin’s voice came out somewhere above Soonyoung’s head, his voice vibrating through his chest against Soonyoung’s ear.

 

“Can we at least hug in a more comfortable position?” Soonyoung mumbled a few seconds later after feeling a new crick beginning to form in his neck.

 

Seokmin’s laugh rumbled low through his chest and he released Soonyoung, “Sure, hug away.”

 

Soonyoung was about to seat himself on the other’s lap sideways, but changed his mind, “Do you have a blanket?”

 

“Other than the one on my bed? No.”

 

Soonyoung inhaled in shock, “How can you only have one blanket in your entire house?”

 

“Apartment,” Seokmin corrected, and earned a stern look, “There’s only me here, so I only need one blanket. I told you I spend most of my time in my room anyway, so it’s the only blanket I have.”

 

“I’m going to buy you a really fluffy blanket and then you’ll change your ways, but that will have to do for now,” Soonyoung declared, rising from the sofa to voyage to Seokmin’s room where he acquired the duvet and brought it back, draping it over himself and Seokmin.

 

Soonyoung leaned his head on Seokmin’s shoulder and the elder placed an arm around him, leaning his head on top of Soonyoung’s in amused contentment, “Are we just going to stay here all day?”

 

Soonyoung hummed in thought low in his throat and curled his feet up, bent knees resting across Seokmin’s lap, “I want to...But it feels like a waste of a day off. What did Wonwooo tell you?”

 

Seokmin retracted his arm to himself by a few centimetres so that it was still around the others shoulders but he could now thread his hand into Soonyoung’s hair and play with the purple strands, “Just stuff.”

 

“What kind of stuff?” Soonyoung questioned, leaning into the other more.

 

“Stuff stuff,” the other explained vaguely.

 

Soonyoung turned his head to look up at the other playfully, “We’re only one day into our relationship and you’re already keeping secrets from me.”

 

Seokmin ruffled Soonyoung’s hair affectionately and rolled his eyes, “I’ll tell you at some point, but not now because you’re in a good mood.”

 

Soonyoung immediately thought the worst for his career and his friends and sat up straight, leaning away from the other, “What happened?”

 

“Nothing happened,” Seokmin assured, pulling the skater back to himself, “He told me stuff about you.”

 

“Oh God.”

 

“Mhm, but I’ll tell you about it later,” Seokmin concluded with a fond pat on Soonyoung’s head that was back to its position on his shoulder.

 

Before Soonyoung could complain, Woojoo who had finally risen from the food bowl came and jumped onto the duvet blanketing them. He down settled quickly, mostly on Seokmin but partly on Soonyoung’s knees that also rested on the coach’s lap.

 

“I think he’s only here because you brought the duvet here,” Seokmin murmured fondly, lifting his other hand out from under the blanket to pet Woojoo.

 

Soonyoung did the same, “I relate to your dog.”

 

“You are not a dog,” Seokmin snapped rather hastily, startling Soonyoung.

 

“What?”

 

“You aren’t a dog.”

 

“I know,” Soonyoung spoke hesitantly in a confused tone, “I was just joking..? Seriously, what did he tell you?”

 

Seokmin sighed and leaned his head back onto the sofa, Soonyoung’s hair tickling his neck, “He didn’t tell me a lot because he said it isn’t his place to tell.”

 

“But what _did_ he tell you?” Soonyoung insisted, still petting Woojoo.

 

“That I need to treat you better than your last boyfriend,” Seokmin summarised.

 

“Oh,” came Soonyoung’s clipped response.

 

“I didn’t want to bring it up now, sorry,” Seokmin kissed the top of the other’s head with slightly more caution.

 

Soonyoung shook his head, “It’s my fault. I made you tell me.”

 

“I told you because you asked, you did not force me to tell you,” Seokmin ensured the other before carefully standing up and transferring Woojoo onto Soonyoung, “I’m going to get dressed, you wanna change?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged indifferently, distracted by his thoughts with his fingers running aimlessly through Woojoo’s fur. Seokmin ruffled the skater’s hair on the way out of the room, “I’ll find you something.”

 

Soonyoung remained in the same place with Woojoo licking at his hands if they ever stilled in his white fur. He wondered how much Wonwoo had told Seokmin and whether Seokmin would treat him any differently after hearing the information. He didn’t want to be treated any differently by the other. Seokmin was already incredibly gentle and loving to him, so much so that Soonyoung felt an overflowing warmth just by sitting on the counter watching the other scramble in drawers looking for cutlery.

 

Seokmin came back relatively quickly but still took longer than Soonyoung would’ve taken to shower. He was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt with a pink button-up over it, fully unbuttoned, and his hair was styled so his fringe was slightly puffed up with a triangle of skin showing above his left eyebrow. Soonyoung admired the other’s ability to look casually smart, but he liked this Seokmin just as much as he liked the Seokmin who had dragged him back into bed earlier, with messy hair and wrinkled clothes.

 

Soonyoung noticed the other pink fabric in Seokmin’s hand and pointed to it, “That for me?”

 

“Yup, unless you don’t want it? I just thought you could trade one sweater for another and wear the same clothes for today.”

 

“Yeah, that’s fine with me,” Soonyoung lifted Woojoo off of himself but kept the dog in his sleeping position and placed him back down on the duvet. Soonyoung took his yellow sweater off and reached for the peach one that Seokmin was holding, but the latter kept it out of his reach and pointed at the skater’s shirt.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Soonyoung looked down at his chest, only just realising what shirt he was wearing, “It’s a campaign to help prevent child abuse, and this is Dokyeom’s signature since he founded the campaign.”

 

Seokmin smiled and handed the sweater to the other who quickly put it on to keep warm, “That’s good of him.”

 

“I told you he‘s a good person,” Soonyoung nodded and then looked at the sweater he was now wearing. It’s peach with a brown strip around the collar, not something Soonyoung would usually wear, but he liked it, “Why are we getting dressed?”

 

“You’re coming grocery shopping with me,” Seokmin declared before dragging the other out of the apartment complex and into the car.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung had insisted on pushing the shopping trolley around the supermarket, and who was Seokmin to deny his request? They browsed through the vegetable section rather quickly, Seokmin putting big bags of root vegetables into Soonyoung’s little trolley while the latter aimlessly followed the former around. Seokmin selected small bundles of garlic, chillies and the like before leading Soonyoung to the dairy section where it only then dawned on him to ask, “Do you want anything?”

 

“You,” Soonyoung responded with a witty wink, making Seokmin roll his eyes.

 

“Seriously.”

 

“I am deadly serious,” Soonyoung promised, giving the other a light smack on the ass when he bent down to fetch some cheese.

 

Seokmin squawked in response, “We are in _public._ ”

 

“I thought that didn’t matter to you,” Soonyoung smirked in mirth, referring to their second encounter at the ice rink in the locker room when the coach had very blatantly stated that he wouldn’t care if they were in public or not.

 

Seokmin was rendered momentarily speechless and lowered a carton of milk into the trolley, “Touché. Though, I don’t think you’d want to come out to the world by being on the news for fucking in the dairy aisle.”

 

Soonyoung snorted, “I’d prefer the medical aisle in all honesty; safety first, public indecency second.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes in amusement and shook his head fondly, gently dragging the trolley around to the next aisle, “Are you sure you don’t want anything? Besides me?”

 

Seokmin added the second question before Soonyoung could get his first answer in and he pouted, “Some bread.”

 

“Just plain bread?”

 

“Like a baguette.”

 

“So, not a baguette. Just _like_ a baguette,” Seokmin teased and the skater rammed him slightly with the trolley.

 

“Get me a baguette so I can beat you with it.”

 

“Kinky,” Seokmin quipped, leading them toward the bakery section of the shop, “Pick one.”

 

Soonyoung left the trolley with Seokmin at the side and went over to the little clusters of bread on the shelves. He roamed around for a few seconds before finding a bundle of baguettes the same length as his torso and selected one, smelling the scent of the deliciously fresh bread and positively melting on the spot. He bounced back over to Seokmin and held it to the other, “Smell.”

 

Seokmin did as instructed and hummed in approval, “Smells great.”

 

“Indeed it does,” Soonyoung chorused, placing the baguette into the trolley gently before taking the vehicle off of Seokmin to continue pushing it around.

 

They went down all aisles of the shop with Seokmin selecting the items he needed and Soonyoung occasionally giving his input, aside from that, they engaged in light conversation about their food preferences. Soonyoung was happy to discover that much like himself, Seokmin eats almost everything offered to him, and also like himself, Seokmin puts the cereal into the bowl before the milk: this relationship should work out.

 

When they were nearing the end of their supermarket trek, Soonyoung spotted someone he didn’t really want to speak to at the present moment, “Oh Lord.”

 

“What?” Seokmin questioned, placing some condiments into the trolley.

 

“Is it too late to run?” Soonyoung questioned aloud, and the answered himself when the other started approaching, “Yeah, it’s too late.”

 

“Soonyoung.”

 

“Hi, Seungkwan,” Soonyoung offered with a meek wave.

 

Seokmin snickered and took the trolley handle from Soonyoung’s hands before disappearing down the aisle to look for sunflower oil, “Good luck.”

 

Seungkwan watched Seokmin walk away with suspicious eyes, “Care to explain what is going on and why you didn’t reply to my message last night?”

 

“I was busy.”

 

Seungkwan scoffed and gestured around in an exaggerated manner to the ever so busy Soonyoung stood before him, “I can see just how busy you are.”

 

“I can explain.”

 

“Please do,” Seungkwan encouraged, arms crossed with a half empty basket hanging off of one elbow, “Sum it up quickly because I’ve got a meeting with Wonwoo and I’m sure he will tell me all the details anyway.”

 

“I’m dating Seokmin.”

 

Seungkwan stared at him, nodded his head a few times as if that would make the revelation any less shocking, and worried at his lip with his teeth for a second before clicking his tongue, “You’re lucky that I’m your PR manager, anyone else would’ve just given up by now.”

 

Soonyoung smiled and gave a hesitant thumbs up, “Thank you?”

 

Seungkwan waved his thanks away, “I want you and him to finish up here and go back to your place, or his I don’t know, and then stay there until me and Wonwoo finish our meeting and I can tell you how we’re going to handle this from the professional point of view.”

 

Soonyoung nodded eagerly and then Seungkwan continued with a smile and slight concern, “As your friend, I’m happy for you, but isn’t he older than you? Does he treat you right?”

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes, “He’s a few years older than me and yes he does, he’s buying me a baguette.”

 

“Wow, how romantic,” Seungkwan mocked sarcastically.

 

“I don’t see anyone buying you a baguette,” Soonyoung challenged valiantly.

 

“No one will be buying you one either unless you hurry up,” Seokmin said from behind Soonyoung, startling the skater to the point of physically jumping before extending a greeting hand to Seungkwan which the latter shook, “Lee Seokmin, but I think we’ve met a few times before.”

 

“Boo Seungkwan, and yes we have, but not with you as the boyfriend of my friend. If you hurt him I will hunt you down and make sure you can never lay eyes on him again,” Seungkwan threatened, all while maintaining a surprisingly strong grip on Seokmin’s hand and a friendly smile on his face.

 

The corner of Seokmin’s lip twitched in an attempted smile, “Understood.”

 

Seungkwan let go and bid them a farewell, “Get home quickly and stay there.”

 

“Will do,” Soonyoung promised with a small wave before turning to Seokmin, “Are you done now?”

 

“Yup, just gotta pay.”

 

“Then let’s go quick before Seungkwan jumps out from somewhere and beats us for taking too long,” Soonyoung ushered while glancing around suspiciously, much to the amusement of Seokmin. The couple swiftly paid for their items before setting off for Seokmin’s apartment.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung had offered to help Seokmin put the groceries away but the elder had shooed him away with the promise that it wouldn’t take him long. Soonyoung lay on the couch with Woojoo curled up on his chest, scrolling through his phone aimlessly with his baguette lying next to him and his patience slowly dissipating, “Hurry up.”

 

“I’m almost done,” Seokmin yelled back from the kitchen, emerging a few minutes later, “What are you in such a rush for?”

 

“I have somewhere to be,” Soonyoung stated, lifting his legs so the other could take a seat on the sofa.

 

“Where?” Seokmin asked, genuinely confused since he knew that Soonyoung had the whole day off and if he needed to be somewhere he would’ve told Seokmin earlier.

 

“In your heart,” Soonyoung winked and Seokmin actually groaned out loud, but was smiling brightly nonetheless.

 

“I didn’t sign up for this but,” Seokmin complained halfheartedly, dropping his head to let it rest on the back of the sofa and turning it to look at Soonyoung, “You never left my heart in the first place.”

 

Soonyoung gakwed at the other, deciding to not say anything witty back in favour of memorising the warm smile on Seokmin’s face, “Silly me, how could I forget.”

 

“Dunno,” Seokmin shrugged and then checked the time on his phone, “What do you wanna eat for lunch?”

 

Soonyoung pointed at the metre long baguette lying next to him on the sofa.

 

“Aren’t you gonna put stuff in it? Or on it?”

 

Soonyoung shook his head and ripped the end piece of the fresh bread off before shoving it into his mouth, “I like plain bread.”

 

Seokmin stood up with an amused scoff, “You’re weird. I’m gonna make soup.”

 

“Actually make it or just stuff from a tin?”

 

“Stuff from a tin. I may be a decent cook but I don’t have the time to make soup from scratch,” Seokmin joked, disappearing into the kitchen. Soonyoung pulled his phone out of the suffocatingly tight pocket of his jeans and messaged Wonwoo on Instagram.

 

 **kwon_ice:** what did you say to seokmin??

 

 **wonuwu:** I told him to not treat you like shit like the last dickhead, why?

 

 **kwon_ice:** what _exactly_ did you tell him?

 

 **wonuwu:** idk exactly man it’s been a few hours

 

Soonyoung sent his coach a series of unamused, exasperated emojis.

 

 **wonuwu:** I told him that you were abused by your ex, I didn’t tell him in what way I just vaguely said it was related to sexual stuff and that it really isn’t my place to say anything else, I wanted to see his reaction to determine whether he’s a dickheaed or not

 

 **kwon_ice:** what was his reaction?

 

 **wonuwu:** he looked pissed and told us all to get out of his apartment shortly after, so he’s clearly not happy about it. Will you tell him the whole story?

 

Soonyoung picked at the skin of his lower lip and pondered over the question. It was a few years ago and Soonyoung had mostly recovered from it, but he hasn’t actually had a relationship since because he devoted himself to skating even more after becoming single. No one has touched him for years and he isn’t sure how he’ll react to it or even if he will enjoy the same things in the bedroom that he used to.

 

 **kwon_ice:** idk yet  
**kwon_ice:** he seems to want to know more so I will probably tell him  
**kwon_ice:** I’ll let you know if i do tell him

 

 **wonuwu:** only tell him if you’re ready to, if he forces you to I’ll beat his ass <3

 

 **kwon_ice:** thanks bro, knew I could count on you  <3

 

 **wonuwu:** anytime bby ;)

 

Sooyoung locked his phone with a fond smile and looked down at Woojoo sleeping peacefully on his chest, giving him a slow stroke as to not wake him from slumber. His attentiveness, however, went unappreciated by the canine once a particular cupboard was opened in the kitchen, promoting Woojoo to jerk out of his dreams and propel himself towards the food cupboard. Soonyoung huffed at the force exerted by Woojoo’s bony legs and then got up himself to take his usual seat on the counter, this time next to where Seokmin was stood in front of the microwave, silver spoon at the ready.

 

“Did you feed Woojoo?”

 

“I will do in a second,” Seokmin responded while taking the hot bowl out of the microwave, “Or you can do it, if you want? I see you did it this morning.”

 

“Yeah, he kept yapping and I didn’t want him to wake you up,” Soonyoung slid off of the counter and empied a sachet into the plastic bowl.

 

“So you woke me up instead?” Seokmin questioned but more like stated with a fond edge.

 

Soonyoung shouted an agreement while fetching his baguette from the sofa. Upon his return he stood next to Seokmin before casually lowering the bitten edge of the long loaf into his bowl of soup, retracting it, and then munching on the soaked bread. Seokmin blinked at the intrusion into the smooth orange soup but made no comment about it, picking up the bowl before walking into the living room and sitting himself at the table where Soonyoung took the seat opposite.

 

“Anything you want to do since it’s your day off?” Seokmin asked while Soonyoung stuck his baguette into his soup for the second time.

 

“You,” Soonyoung joked with a wink for the second time that day before continuing, “I dunno, watch a film?”

 

“That’s not that exciting,” Seokmin shrugged with a pout, “Which film?”

 

“Whatever you want,” Soonyoung decided indifferently, going in for the third dunk with his baguette, “I haven’t watched any movies for a while.”

 

“Genre?”

 

“Something not shit.”

 

“So, any genre?”

 

“As long as it’s not shit,” fourth dunk, “I don’t care.”

 

Seokmin racked his mind for decent movies, also being someone who doesn’t watch them a lot doesn’t help, “Train to Busan? You’ve probably seen that already.”

 

Soonyoung shook his head, “I haven’t.”

 

“Seriously? It came out _ages_ ago.”

 

“I usually only watch movies if someone sits me down and puts one on,” Soonyoung shrugged, going for his fifth dunk into the hot soup only to be blocked by Seokmin’s spoon.

 

“I thought you didn’t want anything on your bread?”

 

“I changed my mind,” Soonyoung explained simply, trying to manoeuvre his baguette around the spoon and failing thanks to Seokmin’s iron defence.

 

“I’m gonna have no soup left,” Seokmin murmured sadly.

 

“Last time I swear,” Soonyoung promised while moving the defeated spoon away to soak the bread one more time.

 

Seokmin gave up, “So, are we watching Train to Busan then?”

 

“Haven’t you seen it already?”

 

“I have, a few times. Wouldn’t mind watching it again though.”

 

“Must be really good then,” Soonyoung concluded.

 

“It is, you’ll either be angry or crying at the end.”

 

“Oh great. I just love causing myself emotional pain,” Soonyoung joked in sarcastic enthusiasm, prompting Seokmin to tell him a short synopsis of the plot line.

 

Much like the blurb of a book, Seokmin told Soonyoung enough to have him interested but nowhere near enough for him to draw any conclusions. They finished their lunch and were settled on the sofa by around 2pm, again under Seokmin’s duvet as Soonyoung forgot his promise to buy the coach a fluffy blanket when they went shopping.

 

“There wouldn’t’ve been one in there anyway, it’s mainly food and household appliances, stuff like that,” Seokmin assured Soonyoung who was shuffling around trying to get comfy.

 

“If you say so,” Soonyoung huffed, deciding to sit on the sofa like a normal person with his legs dangling over the edge as they should, hanging next to Seokmin’s.

 

“I know so,” Seokmin smiled when Soonyoung leaned into his side, wrapping his arm around the skater’s shoulders.

 

They watched the film in mostly silence for the first half. Soonyoung kept trying to get Seokmin to tell him which characters died so he wouldn’t get emotionally attached to them but the coach refused, insisting that Soonyoung must stuffer to get the full experience. After giving up his enquiry into the plot, Soonyoung began another enquiry into the cinematics of the movie, questioning the laws of physics and the psychology of the characters which led to him momentarily question his own existence a few times.

 

Seokmin watched with a fond annoyance as Soonyoung became more and more infuriated with the actions of the main antagonist, going as far as to actually shout at the screen in exasperation sometimes, “If he doesn’t fucking punch him for that I’m going to punch your TV.”

 

Seokmin was glad that his TV was safe when the guy actually did punch him, much to Soonyoung’s delight. As the train neared Busan things didn’t get any less tense, in fact they got even more tense, and Soonyoung brought his legs up to himself to hug his knees to his chest. Near the end of the movie after a particularly sad scene, Soonyoung noticed that Seokmin was crying, “Why are you crying?”

 

“How could you not cry at that?” Seokmin retorted, wiping at his eyes with his knuckles, “This is my fourth time seeing this film and I still cry at that part.”

 

“Aw,” Soonyoung cooed, hands going up out of the duvet to help Seokmin wipe away the tears, “I didn’t think you’d be the type to cry at films.”

 

“This film just gets to me, okay?” Seokmin murmured defensively, gently moving Soonyoung’s hands away so they could watch the end of the film. He stopped crying shortly after, only to begin again a few minutes later, “That’s the song she learned for her dad.”

 

Soonyoung made the other lean into him so he could hug Seokmin’s head into his chest, “It’s just a film.”

 

“Says you,” Seokmin countered in a teary, muffled voice while the credits began rolling,“I thought you were going to jump into the screen to fight that guy.”

 

“He deserves it,” Soonyoung nodded against Seokmin’s hair.

 

“He really does,” Seokmin sniffled and then lifted himself out of Soonyoung’s embrace to wipe the mess off of his face, “Maybe we should’ve watched something funny.”

 

“Nah, I liked that.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. I just have a really overwhelming urge to want to kill that bastard.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “That’s completely understandable. Every time I watch this I think that the emotional pain will lessen, but it just gets worse.”

 

“Aw poor baby,” Soonyoung cooed again, patting the other on the shoulder, “What time is it?”

 

“Nearing half four,” Seokmin replied after squinting at the display of his phone, “I have to be at the rink for 6.”

 

“How come?”

 

“To train Jeonghan?” Seokmin questioned himself, as if the answer was too obvious for him to need to state it aloud.

 

“I thought you said he’s doing fitness training with Seungcheol?” Soonyoung questioned, propping his elbow up on the back of the sofa and his head on his hand, body turned to Seokmin.

 

“He is, well was, has been doing,” Seokmin stuttered, “They were meant to finish around 1pm so they’re probably just fucking.”

 

Soonyoung blinked and added, “...Around? Fucking around?”

 

Seokmin gave him a pointed look, “No, just fucking. I make him stick to a rigid training schedule so I don’t have to walk in on that _ever_ again,” he shuddered, “I get that people are into some kinky stuff, I mean, me too, but I didn’t need to see _their_ kinky stuff, you know?”

 

Soonyoung nodded, “I get you. I’ve seen far more of Wonwoo and Mingyu than I ever wanted to see.”

 

“They’re together?” Seokmin asked, shock evident in his voice.

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “They like to act like they’re not but they’ve been a _thing_ for a few years now. Wonwoo even made Mingyu be my bodyguard for a while when my ex, you know, became my ex…”

 

The skater trailed off into memories but was distracted by Seokmin’s smile, “I’m glad he looks out for you.”

 

“Of course he does,” Soonyoung snapped quickly, as if offended, “He’s my best friend before he’s my coach. What about you and Jeonghan?”

 

Seokmin pursed his lips in thought and hummed before replying, “He is probably my best friend too but I see him a lot less now that he’s with Seungcheol. I don’t mind that though, I’m glad he’s got someone who doesn’t just stick around cuz of his ass.”

 

“You seem to have a thing for my ass,” Soonyoung pointed out sharply, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“How could I _not_ have a thing for that masterpiece?” Seokmin winked, “And the difference is, I also have a thing for your ridiculously cute face and lovely sense of humour.”

 

“Mhm,” Soonyoung hummed, pleased, “Keep going.”

 

“I love your eyes, they’re very alluring.”

 

“Do continue.”

 

“Your thighs are fucking gorgeous,” Seokmin declared, hand sneaking over to slide up the thigh closest to him. He leaned in closer when Soonyoung asked for more compliments, whispering into the other’s ear, “I also _really_ have a thing for the way you hold grudges against antagonists in zombie movies, really gets me going.”

 

Soonyoung snorted and shoved the coach away playfully, “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“And you love me for it,” Seokmin remarked with a cock of the head, moving the duvet to the side since it had been mostly discarded anyway.

 

“You’re not wrong.”

 

“Your turn now,” Seokmin indicated, “Flatter me.”

 

Soonyoung looked the other up and down in a scrutinising manner, “Your thighs are also fucking gorgeous, to quote you.”

 

“Why thank you. They’re nothing compared to yours, though.”

 

“Nonsense,” Soonyoung dismissed the claim and climbed onto the other’s lap in the usual position, them facing each other with Soonyoung kneeling over Seokmin’s thighs, “They make a very comfortable chair.”

 

Seokmin snickered, hands resting comfortably on Soonyoung’s legs, “I’ve noticed, you seem to like sitting here.”

 

“I do indeed,” Soonyoung confessed, “Moving on, you have the facial structure of a God, like seriously, if I had your face I’d never stop looking in the mirror.”

 

“Bit vain,” Seokmin commented with a shrug.

 

“You can be as vain as you like with a face like that. Also on your face is your smile, I love your smile,” Seokmin made a point of smiling for the other there and then and Soonyoung melted a little, “Yeah, that. You have a smile that makes other people smile.”

 

“I think you’ll find that you also have that type of smile,” Seokmin informed the skater.

 

“Perhaps, but it’s not as beautiful as yours,” he didn’t allow the other to interrupt him before moving on, lifting one of Seokmin’s hands off of his lap and into his own hands, “You have such nice hands. Your fingers are so long.”

 

“You know what that’s good for,” Seokmin hinted, wiggling his eyebrows and his fingers causing the skater to roll his eyes and let go of the hand.

 

Soonyoung had a sudden thought, “When was your last relationship? I’m still amazed that you were single until I came along.”

 

Seokmin had to squint in thought for a few seconds before answering, “Almost a year ago, I think? With a woman.”

 

“You’re bi?”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “Not sure. I’m not really bothered about labelling myself as anything, if I like you then I like you and that’s enough confirmation for me.”

 

“Fair enough,” Soonyoung shrugged in indifferent understanding, “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“She found someone else…” Seokmin said, eyes glancing off to the side in a manner clear enough for Soonyoung to infer.

 

“She cheated on you?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Is she blind? How the fuck could someone cheat on _you_?” Soonyoung questioned to no one in particular out of disbelief and anger.

 

Seokmin shrugged, face set in a more somber expression, “Dunno, I never met the guy she left me for and I’ve never had the desire to. You wouldn’t cheat on someone if you loved them but she did, so she clearly didn’t love me.”

 

“No shit,” Soonyoung said in agreement, “I’m sorry that happened to you. Was it a long relationship?”

 

“8 months.”

 

“Shit.”

 

“Yeah, it was pretty shitty at the time,” Seokmin suddenly brightened up and finally looked back to the skater perched in his lap, “But now I have you.”

 

“Yup, and I have you.”

 

“Of course,” Seokmin smiled, and then glanced down at the time on his phone and groaned, “It’s five, I’ve gotta be there for six.”

 

“Or you could just canel and let him fuck Seungcheol for longer,” Soonyoung proposed, only half serious, and earned a look from Seokmin.

 

“I would but the Cup of China is in two months and he needs all the training time he can get, I’m sure you understand that.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in agreement and then questioned, “Which rink do you use anyway?”

 

“Jeonghan’s. His family own the place.”

 

“Of course they do,” Soonyoung exhaled with a roll of his eyes, earning a stern look from Seokmin.

 

“That’s how he got into skating in the first place.”

 

“That makes sense, actually.”

 

“Yeah. It does,” Seokmin stated blanky and then seemed to ponder before speaking again, “Look, I know you and Jeonghan don’t exactly get along but he’s my friend and you’re my boyfriend. I’d just appreciate it if you didn’t talk shit about him while I’m here.”

 

“I didn’t talk any shit about him,” Soonyoung snapped defensively.

 

“No, I know. I mean think lowly of him or be prejudiced towards him.”

 

“When did I do that?”

 

“When I mentioned that he owned the rink you reacted like he’s some privileged person who gets everything handed to him, but it’s not like that.”

 

“That isn’t what I was implying at all.”

 

“Seemed like it.”

 

A heavy silence set around the two for the first time. Soonyoung was still perched in the other’s lap and so was looking down into his eyes slightly. He was the first to look away with a sigh, “I’m sorry.”

 

“You don’t need to apologise, I just wanted you to know now.”

 

“I’m still sorry. I am a complete asshole to him all the time,” Soonyoung sighed again, shoulders sagging.

 

“Yeah? And he’s an asshole back, so it’s fine. I don’t know what happened between you two because neither of you will tell me about it, but I just want you to keep your ‘Jeonghan hate’ to a minimum while I’m around - it would be like me talking shit about Wonwoo and just giving off the general vibe that I think he’s a shit person, you wouldn’t like it.”

 

“Do you think of him like that?” Soonyoung enquired pointedly, ready to defend his friend.

 

“God no, but you can see now why I’m defensive of Jeonghan. Whether he’s your enemy or not, he’s still my best friend, even though he can be a complete ass sometimes.”

 

“I get your point,” Soonyoung realised with another sigh.

 

“Hey, lighten up,” Seokmin prompted with a smile, searching for Soonyoung’s hands before lacing their fingers together, “I just wanted to address it now so it didn’t become a big problem later.”

 

“Probably a good idea,” Soonyoung discerned, looking at their linked hands resting over their laps.

 

“Also, we just had our first mini argument and it’s only day two of our official relationship, I’d say we’re making good progress.”

 

Soonyoung cracked a smile at that and Seokmin was glad to see it, it prompted his next question, “Can I kiss you?”

 

“Why…?”

 

“Cuz I want to? To make you feel better?” Seokmin rambled with an eyebrow raised in questioning.

 

“No,” Soonyoung shook his head, “I mean, why did you ask?”

 

Seokmin looked perplexed at this for a few moments, “To get your permission.”

 

“For a kiss?”

 

“Of course? Consent kinda turns me on,” Seokmin teased.

 

Soonyoung snorted, “I don’t remember you asking me the first time.”

 

“The first time is a magical exception,” Seokmin explained a little too quickly for it to be the truth.

 

“Mhm,” Soonyoung hummed in disbelief.

 

“So, can I?”

 

“Can you what?” Soonyoung asked before remembering, “Kiss me? Yeah, please do.”

 

Seokmin smiled and leaned forward at the same time that Soonyoung leaned further down, their hands breaking apart to find purchase on each other’s bodies. Soonyoung’s wrapped around the coach’s shoulders and Seokmin’s held Soonyoung closer by the dip in his lower back, thumbs digging into the front of his hip bones.

 

Their kiss was very gentle much to Soonyoung’s initial surprise, but he came to like the languid pace more than he would’ve thought. Seokmin pulled away from Soonyoung’s mouth and pecked his way down his jawline before teething at his ear, causing the skater to shudder and lean away, only to be held in place by the coach’s hand now splayed across his shoulder blades.

 

Soonyoung naturally leaned his head back and titled it to the right when Seokmin started to kiss his way down the left side of his neck before beginning to suck a bruise into the smooth patch of skin. Soonyoung moaned in a scandalised mixture of shock and arousal, “If you leave a mark, I’ll get shit for it until it fades.”

 

“Good,” Seokmin spoke against his flesh before continuing his artwork.

 

“I mean it,” Soonyoung quipped in a half moan before commanding in a very evidently joking manner, “Stop.”

 

To his utter surprise, Seokmin actually did stop but remained in his position, breath fanning over Soonyoung’s neck and making him feel hot, “Why did you stop?”

 

“You told me to,” Seokmin stated matter of factly.

 

“Yeah but…”

 

“But what?”  

 

Soonyoung could hear the teasing edge in the elder’s voice and murmured, “I didn’t mean it.”

 

“I told you, consent turns me on.”

 

Seokmin stayed there against his neck and it was clear to the skater that he was waiting for the go-ahead before continuing his ministrations, something Soonyoung hadn’t experienced in a long time. Seokmin watched the tendons in Soonyoung’s neck work hard as the skater managed to swallow with his head mostly tilted back, “Uh, carry on?”

 

“Carry on, what?” Seokmin teased, blowing cold air onto the heated skin of Soonyoung’s neck causing a small yelp.

 

Soonyoung had to think for a minute, feeling delirious from the copious amount of heat spreading about his body, “Carry on, please?”

 

“Good boy.”

 

Soonyoung preened at the praise coming from the low voice below his ear and then hissed a breath at the feeling of Seokmin’s pearly whites scraping along the column of his neck. Seokmin continued to work on an area that’s high enough on Soonyoung’s neck to not be concealed by a shirt collar and low enough to make it seem like he tried to hide it, and Soonyoung can’t tell whether he loves or hates him for it. Part of him feels proud to have such a blatant mark of affection stamped onto him and the other parts of him are dreading all the teasing he will get from his friends.

 

Seokmin pulled away from his neck and reattached their lips one last time before pulling away at the ping of his phone and then groaning at the display once again, “How is it already half past five?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, flushed red, “Time flies when you’re sucking your boyfriends neck like you’re hungry for blood.”

 

Seokmin chuckled with a toothy grin, hands dropping to knead Soonyoung’s thighs gently, “You bet it does. Want me to drive you home?”

 

“I would love it if you did, but I drove here yesterday and my car’s still here.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Seokmin exclaimed with a spark of recognition.

 

“Yeah, I forgot too,” he hoisted himself off of Seokmin’s lap and looked around for his scattered belongings which included only a sweater, his phone, his keys and his shoes that had remained by the door, “I’ll be on my way then.”

 

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Seokmin pouted from his position on the couch, “You could always come with me and watch Jeonghan skate, though I don’t think he’d like that.”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung agreed, stuffing his phone into his pocket, “I wouldn’t either.”

 

Seokmin got up and followed Soonyoung to the doorway while the skater slipped his shoes on, “I’ll message you when I’m bored of watching Jeonghan.”

 

“That doesn’t sound very professional,” Soonyoung scolded, struggling with his second and final shoe.

 

“Correction: I’ll message you every time Jeonghan takes a break to suck Seungcheol’s face off.”

 

“So,” Soonyoung began, standing up straight with both shoes on and equipped with all his belongings, “Every ten minutes then?”

 

Seokmin made the so-so hand gesture, “More or less, yeah.”

 

Soonyoung sniggered and paused with his hand on the door handle, “Aren’t you gonna kiss me goodbye?”

 

Seokmin sighed in relief, “Thought you’d never ask.”

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos are very much appreciated and comments genuinely make my day :)  
> Good luck to anyone else doing exams right now! <3
> 
> ...also there's now 2 of u following the playlist....ily <3
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


	4. Tell Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung tells Seokmin about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to post this for soo long but i need to stick to this schedule till my exams end, which is thankfully only one week away now! I've got 5 out of 27 left and then I'm free to write till my heart's content for aaages so updates will become more frequent :D
> 
> Thank you for being so patient with monthly updates and thank you for all the support so far i rlly love yall <3<3<3
> 
> This chapter is mostly cute but the end gets a bit heavy but it's important!! 
> 
> Tell Me (acoustic) - Sabrina Claudio ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/0an8pwAsISvMA9ZIbAmeW7?si=_PxEBN7BTfW-RnhOXdXpqw) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fptYx9YBY3w)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Back to a rigorous training schedule, Soonyoung had little time to spend by himself, never mind any spare time to meet with Seokmin. The rest of September passed by in a chilly breeze that had Soonyoung yearning to slip into Seokmin’s bed and stay there until this early winter passed. 

 

He had been teased for days about the persistent hickey settled snug into his flesh, and then reprimanded by Seungkwan for being so careless at their next meeting. His overzealous PR manager insisted that Soonyoung cover the mark up with makeup if he wouldn’t wear a scarf, and Soonyoung begrudgingly agreed if only to appease the other. 

 

Throughout the month, Chan had finally managed to arrange a schedule with his partner for the ice dance and so Soonyoung had been seeing even less of him as well, the partner demanding that he go to her. Seokmin had kept in contact with Soonyoung every day through extensive messages and long calls, and the day when they arranged to meet had finally arrived.

 

Soonyoung stepped off of the ice and attempted to lie on the carpeted floor but Wonwoo halted him, “No lying down. Walk around for a cool down.”

 

Soonyoung did as told despite the black specks in his vision from hours of physical activity on the ice, “I can’t see.”

 

“Vision’s black again?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung responded looking nowhere in particular, since he can’t see.

 

“Sit,” Wonwoo instructed, gently guiding Soonyoung to a bench before removing the skater’s skates for him, “Do you feel faint?”

 

“No, not really,” Soonyoung shook his head as a response and to try clear his vision, “I’m just tired.”

 

“Drink,” Wonwoo insisted, securing Soonyoung’s hands around a water bottle and waiting for the other to inhale its contents, “Are you going to meet Seokmin?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Tell him to come and get you because I don’t want you to collapse on the way home.”

 

“But my car’s here,” Soonyoung protested, watching drops of his own sweat fall to the floor, “And I need to shower.”

 

Wonwoo picked Soonyoung’s phone up from the rink wall, unlocked it, and began to scan through his contacts, “Either you shower here now and I hold you up, or you can shower with Seokmin and have steamy shower sex.”

 

Soonyoung snickered at that, “I’m too tired for shower sex.”

 

“ _ Hello? _ ” came a quiet voice from the other end of the line, Wonwoo having already dialed the number saved as ‘Seokmin <3.’

 

“Yeah, hi, it’s Wonwoo. Soonyoung’s fine he’s just tired and I’d really appreciate it if you came and picked him up. Yeah from the rink. Now. Okay, thanks, see you soon,” Wonwoo ended the call and gave the phone to a more alert Soonyoung, “He’s on the way.”

 

“Great. First time he’s seen me in a month and I’m a sweaty, exhausted mess.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and took a seat next to his friend, “I really doubt he’ll care about that. How are things with him anyway?”

 

“Fine?” Soonyoung wiped at his face and neck with a small towel, “I haven’t seen him since you guys stormed his apartment and since you had a mysterious talk with him.”

 

Wonwoo played with his ear in a sheepish manner, “Sorry about that, it was necessary though.”

 

“You’re just lucky he’s a nice guy and actually let you all in in the first place.”

 

“No,  _ he’s _ lucky he’s a nice guy,” Wonwoo corrected, “If he was another dickhead then we were ready to set him in his place and get you away from him before he could do any harm.”

 

Soonyoung smiled and then remembered, “You’d have to get past Seungcheol first, probably. He’s Seokmin’s friend too.”

 

“Well,” Wonwoo threw his hands up at the mention of the significantly stronger male, “Plan’s fucked, been nice knowing ya.”

 

Soonyoung knocked his shoulder into Wonwoo’s in a playful shove, “Wow, how valiant of you. The bestest of best friends.”

 

“You know it,” Wonwoo clicked his fingers at Soonyoung in the shape of a gun, “Do you have any plans for tonight?”

 

Soonyoung sneezed violently before replying in a reference to Wonwoo’s earlier comment, “Shower sex sounds good.”

 

“If you slip and break your neck a month before the Cup of China I will not be impressed,” Wonwoo said dryly, “Tomorrow or Monday you need to go out with Seokmin and Jeonghan, Seungkwan’s orders.”

 

Soonyoung groaned but understood why. As far as the public are concerned, Soonyoung is friends with Jeonghan and that’s why he’s also friends with Seokmin. It would be weird if he never went out anywhere with Jeonghan, “Fine.”

 

Comfortable silence surrounded the long term friends until Wonwoo hesitantly asked, “Have you told him the whole story yet?”

 

“Not yet,” Soonyoung spoke lowly, “It’s just not really come up over text and it’s something I’d rather tell him face to face.”

 

“The sooner you tell him the better, but only if you trust him,” Wonwoo added, “I just don’t want there to be misunderstandings between you and Seokmin if Seokmin does something that reminds you of  _ him _ and you get scared.”

 

“I know what you mean,” Soonyoung nodded, biting his nail but it was more like he was cleaning the nail with his teeth, “I might tell him tonight.”

 

“Only if you’re ready to,” Wonwoo enforced the message strongly, “But I do think that would be a good idea since you’re going to be with him for a few days.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

 

“Think about what?” a new voice asked, causing the coach and skater to look for the source of the sound. Seokmin stood there dressed in all black save for a beige trench coat and the bundle of silver keys hanging through his fingers. 

 

“You,” Soonyoung winked flirtatiously, in awe once again of Seokmin’s natural beauty, especially in comparison to his sweaty self.

 

“How cute,” Seokmin commented and then addressed the pair, “Why didn’t Soonyoung ring me?”

 

“He almost collapsed,” Wonwoo explained in habitual nonchalance, “His vision went black and I refused to let him drive himself home, so here you are.”

 

Seokmin nodded in understanding, “I’ve had Jeonghan collapse on me a few times before. He pushes himself too hard.”

 

“Same can be said for this one,” Wonwoo remarked, pointing a finger at Soonyoung, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to do a quintuple jump at this point.”

 

Seokmin chuckled in amusement, “Better make sure you’re always recording him then.”

 

“Nah,” Wonwoo waved the suggestion away, “If he does it once then he can do it again.”

 

Soonyoung interlocked his fingers and stretched his arms out above his head, feeling and hearing cracks come from his shoulders all the way to his wrists, he sighed at the tension leaking out of his limbs, “Can we go now?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Wonwoo remembered, standing up and walking away while speaking, “You need to go have shower sex. I’ll get your stuff from your locker for you.”

 

Seokmin watched Wonwoo leave for a few seconds before looking to seated Soonyoung with a raised eyebrow, “Shower sex?”

 

“He joked saying you’ll probably have to hold me up while I shower,” Soonyoung explained simply.

 

“I can, if you want. You do look exhausted,” Seokmin confirmed, “But you also look sexy.”

 

“ _ Sexy _ ?” Soonyoung asked incredulously.

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin declared as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “You’ve got the whole sweaty sexy look going on. Sweaxy.”

 

Soonyoung blinked at the new word and shrugged, “If you say so. I feel gross though.”

 

Seokmin nodded, “I can smell you this time. You’re not wearing the jacket.”

 

The fact that Seokmin had remembered the unimportant statement made Soonyoung smile. He had told the coach that the only reason he didn’t smell sweaty at their first encounter was because he was wearing the rink jacket which contained the stench. Currently, Soonyoung wore black leggings and a loose black shirt, both items of clothing equally drenched in sweat, and neither item concealing that fact.

 

Wonwoo joined the pair silently, Soonyoung’s gym bag in hand, and began to put the skater’s skates away while talking, “I’ve told Soonyoung already, but I need you both to go out with Jeonghan at some point.”

 

Seokmin glanced around in thought, “We should be able to since he’s got free time too because I do. It depends whether Seungcheol is hogging him or not.”

 

“Seungcheol can go with you,” Wonwoo informed, zipping up the bag before putting it on the bench next to Soonyoung, “It doesn’t matter how many of you there are or what you do, you just have to be out in public with Jeonghan.”

 

“Yeah, we’ll be able to do it then, don’t worry,” Seokmin assured the other coach, picking up both Soonyoung’s skates and his gym bag, “Come on then, can’t keep that shower waiting.”

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes in suppressed amusement at the continued joke and hauled himself to his feet, not moving for a few seconds to make sure he wasn’t going to collapse, when he noticed, “Since when have I been wearing shoes?”

 

“Since I put them on you when I took your skates off,” his coach said and earned a shrug from the skater.

 

“I didn’t even notice, thanks.”

 

“No problem.”

 

Seokmin jangled his keys impatiently and the pair said their goodbyes to Wonwoo before the latter informed them as they walked away, “Water is a really bad lubricant! Use lube even in the shower!”

 

Soonyoung waved him off with embarrassed and rushed agreements, incredibly thankful that the Saturday public hours hadn’t started yet so no one was around to hear about his sex life.

 

“Sounds like he’s speaking from experience,” Seokmin joked with a sly smile, nudging Soonyoung with his elbow.

 

The skater groaned, “I do  _ not  _ need that image in my head now or ever.”

 

“Why not? He’s hot.”

 

“He’s my  _ best friend _ .”

 

“And? Never stopped anyone before.”

 

“He’s my  _ coach _ .”

 

“And?” Seokmin drawled, “I’m a coach.”

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes and slipped into the car where the conversation continued, “You’re not  _ my _ coach.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t need the other to look at him to see the expression on his face when he responded with a flirtatious edge, clearly not insinuating a professional setting, “I could be.”

 

Something in Soonyoung twisted at the thoughts coming into his mind at the words uttered and he glanced at Seokmin, their eyes locking for a second while the coach waited for someone to let them into the busy stream of traffic. Soonyoung looked away quickly and bit back his witty remark. In his peripheral vision he could see Seokmin’s cheek raise in a mischievous half smile, “You seem to like the sound of that.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t know what to say. He was hot and sweaty already, Seokmin’s car was hot to combat the icy weather outside, yet Soonyoung could feel himself getting impossibly hotter with the heat stemming from his core, “Maybe?”

 

Seokmin just gave him a knowing smile and after a minute or so of a thick atmosphere, the couple quickly dissolved into animated discussions about the happenings of the past month, filling each other in on things mundane and exciting alike.

 

“I almost landed a quadruple axel,” Soonyoung stated as they made their way from the car into the building.

 

Seokmin scoffed, “Yeah, and I’m a famous singer.”

 

Soonyoung gave him a betrayed shove into the elevator, “I’m serious!”

 

Seokmin bit back the words on the tip of his tongue and gave Soonyoung a disbelieving look, “I know you’re an amazing skater, and if anyone has the potential to do it I believe that you do, but I’m pretty sure you just over rotated a triple.”

 

“Yeah, how else do you get to a quadruple without going past a triple?”

 

“You know what I mean,” Seokmin rolled his eyes in slight amusement, “Over rotate in a bad way. Messed up your form.”

 

Soonyoung huffed, “How could you think so little of me?”

 

The coach pulled him into a half hug with his free arm, the other holding Soonyoung’s bags for him despite the protests from the skater, “The quadruple axel is practically physically impossible, and even if it  _ isn’t _ , there’s no way you could do it in a state where you’re almost collapsing after practice.”

 

Seokmin’s voice took on a worried edge and Soonyoung was quick to reassure him, “I’m fine. Just exerted more energy than I took in.”

 

“Then you need to eat,” Seokmin declared, stepping out of the elevator and leading the way to his door, “I’ll make us something.”

 

“What will you make?” Soonyoung asked, stepping into the apartment and removing his shoes, “It’s 11am. Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.”

 

“Brunch?” Seokmin shrugged, removing the beige coat, “Wow, aren’t we colourful.”

 

Soonyoung looked at the pair of them dressed in black after the sarcastic statement and then snapped his eyes back to a Seokmin’s, “Hey, my hair’s purple.”

 

“And mine’s brown,” Seokmin shrugged, “We still look like a pair of assassins.”

 

Soonyoung trotted to the bathroom with an amused, dismissive head shake, but halted before entering, “Should I shower first or eat first?”

 

“Shower first,” Seokmin passed the gym bag he was still holding over to Soonyoung, “Do you  _ actually _ need me to help you or are you okay now?”

 

“I’ll be fine, it passed,” Soonyoung said with a smile, referring to his lightheaded state, “If I need you I’ll shout, but you know I only take a few minutes in the shower.”

 

“Yeah, literally. I’ve never met anyone who showers that fast,” the skater shrugged in indifference and Seokmin gestured toward the kitchen, “I’ll start making something while you’re in there.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be out in a minute.”

 

Soonyoung went into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself, but didn’t lock it just in case he actually did need Seokmin’s help. He put his gym bag down next to the sink and leant on the basin, blinking at himself in the mirror.

 

He could see the fatigue present in his features and was definitely in need of a good power nap and a gallon of water. Soonyoung hopped into the shower, did his usual routine, and climbed back out within a few minutes. The steam leaking off of his body and the sudden change in temperate and position had his vision blackening again. He stood still stark naked in the centre of the bathroom, arms slightly out for balance, and waited a few seconds for it to pass. 

 

After that he got dressed slower than usual into some loose tracksuit pants and a plain white shirt before emerging from the bathroom with the only evidence of him showering being his damp hair and fresh scent. He dumped his bag next to the sofa before leaning against the kitchen counter and watching Seokmin, who was drinking a glass of water while also leaning against the counter, “So, what are we eating?”

 

Seokmin turned around and set the empty glass down on the granite surface, “Well, you seem tired and I can’t be bothered to  _ actually _ cook anything. But I knew you were coming today so I bought you another baguette and I cut up some apples and I’ve got some grapes,” he rambled, “But if you want actual food then I’ll make something.”

 

Soonyoung smiled, “That sounds perfect. I’m honestly not hungry enough for a big meal and I love bread, so thank you.”

 

“No problem,” Seokmin said quieter now that Soonyoung had moved closer to him (and the bread) while speaking. The coach asked in a soft whine, “Can I kiss you? It’s been a month.”

 

Soonyoung smiled with something genuine twinkling in his eyes, winding his hands around the other’s neck, “Of course.”

 

Seokmin’s eyes softened with a smile before he leant down slightly to kiss the other. His hands gripped Soonyoung’s hips in a comforting hold and they separated after a few seconds, only to continue to peck at each other, all smiles and huffed laughter. Soonyoung sighed and leaned his head onto Seokmin’s shoulder, head turned to face the other’s neck, “You’re making me feel all cuddly tired.”

 

“And your hair is making my shoulder wet but I’m not complaining,” Seokmin joked, lifting the plates holding the bread, apples and grapes once Soonyoung stepped back with a quick apology, “It’s fine, seriously. Now let’s go eat so you can sleep.”

 

“I don’t wanna sleep,” Soonyoung complained while plonking onto the sofa, “I haven’t seen you for a month. I don’t want to waste the time I can see you by sleeping.”

 

Seokmin put the plates down on the coffee table and went to fetch the new hair dryer, “You’re tired so you should sleep for an hour or two otherwise you’ll just be slightly out of it all day.”

 

“That’s true,” Soonyoung admitted in a drawl, “But it still feels like a waste.”

 

“It’ll be worth it. You’ll feel better,” Seokmin stood behind Soonyoung who was on the sofa, hair dryer at the ready, “Want me to dry your hair?”

 

Soonyoung dropped his head to rest on the back of the sofa so he could look up at Seokmin, who now appeared to be upside down, “Yeah, if you want to.”

 

Seokmin shrugged and lifted Sooyoung's head back up to be facing the blank TV screen, “I don’t mind.” 

 

The skater scrolled through his phone while Seokmin flicked the device on and began to blow hot air at his wet hair. Seokmin raked his hands through Soonyoung’s hair and ruffled it to get it to dry faster, and the latter found that it actually felt quiet pleasant. He had a sudden realisation; aside from when he was a child and his mother helped him, no one has ever dried his hair for him. He’d never thought much of it before, but now it seemed to be an oddly intimate thing, having someone else take their time to do something for you that you are capable of doing yourself.

 

After a good few minutes, Seokmin deemed Soonyoung’s hair dry enough and put the hair dryer on the table, “You got a brush or comb?”

 

“In the front part of my bag,” Soonyoung informed, not looking up in favour of retweeting a meme, “I’ll comb it though, it’s fine.”

 

Seokmin, having fetched the comb, retorted while beginning to comb the other’s hair, “I insist.”

 

Soonyoung instantly gave up arguing and just shook his head, “If you must.”

 

“I must,” Seokmin declared, “Your hair is nice and soft. It’s thick, too.”

 

Soonyoung gave a half smile at the appreciation which his mind twisted, “You know what else is thick.”

 

“You,” Seokmin hit him gently with the comb, rolling his eyes at the innuendo.

 

“Hey!” Soonyoung turned around to face the coach, looking up, offended, “I’ll have you know I  _ passed _ every single one of my exams.”

 

“Only passed?”

 

“What need do I have for the quadratic formula when my job is ice skating?”

 

Seokmin shrugged and turned Soonyoung’s head back around to finish combing his hair, “Fair enough.”

 

“What about you? What were you like in school?”

 

“I majored in music,” Seokmin offered simply, walking around the sofa to sit next to Soonyoung and eat some apple slices, happy to notice that Soonyoung had been helping himself to the food.

 

“I fucking knew you could sing and you had the audacity to tell me you were tone deaf.”

 

“Majoring in music and majoring in solely singing are different things. For all you know, I could be the best tap dancer in Seoul.”

 

“I bet you could be with your massive feet. Tap real loud.”

 

Seokmin lifted a foot up, “They aren’t  _ that _ big.”

 

“They are,” Soonyoung revealed, patting the coach on the knee, “And you know what they say about big feet.”

 

Seokmin gave him a look and responded dryly, “Big socks.”

 

“Big dick,” Soonyoung beamed, “And I’d say they are quite correct.”

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

Soonyoung just looked into Seokmin’s eyes and then let his gaze wonder to the other’s lap.

 

“Oh.”

 

Soonyoung smiled in amusement and spun himself around to lie down, head in Seokmin’s lap and the backs of his knees resting on the arm of the sofa, feet dangling down, “I’m still waiting to hear you sing. You said you would when your throat got better and it’s been a month since then.”

 

Seokmin laughed nervously, “You see, the thing is, I’m shy.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Soonyoung remarked sarcastically, settling into the other more when the coach began to play with his hair lazily, “Come on, sing for me.”

 

“I seriously can’t sing!” Seokmin repeated with too much enthusiuam for Soonyoung’s liking.

 

“Then what did you do while studying music?”

 

“Composition, songwriting, producing,” he listed.

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes at the end of a yawn, “So, everything but singing?”

 

“Exactly,” Seokmin said, separating the next words into stressed syllables, “Because I cannot sing.”

 

“I’ll let you off this time,” Soonyoung informed the coach, rolling onto his side to bury his face in the fabric of Seokmin’s black shirt to block out the artificial lighting, “But only because I want to sleep.”

 

Seokmin huffed a laugh of relief, still carding his fingers through the other’s hair and eliciting the occasional shiver from the skater, “Go ahead. I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

 

“You better otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight and I will cry,” Soonyoung threatened.

 

“I will, I will. Don’t worry.”

 

After shuffling around a bit to get comfy, the fatigue of hours of morning training caught up to Soonyoung all at once and he found himself drifting off to sleep very quickly, aided by the long fingers in his purple locks.

 

Unbeknownst to him, or appearing to be a dream, Seokmin sang him to sleep.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung woke up lying on his back, head still in Seokmin’s lap and feet still dangling over the arm of the sofa. One hand was still tangled in his hair, though now stationary, and another had settled where his own hands lay over his stomach. The skater figured that he must’ve initiated the contact as Seokmin’s hand was encased in his own, but he couldn’t be sure. He looked up to find Seokmin already looking down at him, “I told you I’d wake you up. I must’ve called your name about fifty times though. You’re a really heavy sleeper.”

 

Soonyoung shook his head and let go of Seokmin’s hand, stretching his arms overhead with a whine, “Not usually, I was just exhausted, and you could’ve just shoved me off of the sofa to wake me up.”

 

Seokmin frowned, “That’s not nice.”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, leaving his arms overhead and dropping them to the sofa after the long stretch, “Faster than trying to wake me up by speaking.”

 

“And still not nice. Would you wake me up like that?”

 

Soonyoung was about to snap a contradictory reply but hesitated, “No.”

 

“Exactly. Now come on, sit up,” Seokmin suggested and helped Soonyoung to lift his heavy body into a sitting position where he could again lean against the coach, “You slept for a few hours, it’s 3pm.”

 

Soonyoung groaned, “That’s too long.”

 

“It was only about two hours and you clearly needed it.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

Seokmin gestured to the TV with a very low volume and subtitles on, “I watched a documentary about turtles and then one about ships transporting gas. Then I watched some of the news before it got too depressing and then I was feeling adventurous and went onto a sport channel.”

 

Soonyoung vaguely registered the two teams playing football at some point during the stages of waking up, “You must’ve been so bored to go onto the sport channels, I’m so sorry.”

 

Seokmin laughed at the pained tone of Soonyoung’s voice, “You do know that  _ you  _ are on several of the sport channels, right?”

 

Soonyoung looked like his world had been shattered.

 

“I’m guessing that never clicked.”

 

Soonyoung shook his head.

 

“Why don’t you like the sports channels?”

 

“I just prefer to play it rather than watch it but I’ve never thought about the fact that, yeah, I’d be pretty fucked without the sports channels, I guess.”

 

The conversation came to a comfortable end and Seokmin sucked in a breath when he remembered, “We couldn’t be together for our one month anniversary.”

 

“We were together in spirit,” Soonyoung informed with a lazy smile, yawning and spinning himself around to be on his favourite seat, Seokmin’s lap, “And in the virtual world.”

 

“But we weren’t together like this,” Seokmin complained in a whine, placing his hands on the tops of Soonyoung’s thighs.

 

Soonyoung hummed and matched the tone of Seokmin’s voice, arms looped around his shoulders, “But we are now.”

 

They met in a smiley kiss; shy and rather innocent. Soonyoung pulled back and said a breathy, “Happy one month.”

 

Seokmin returned the statement and added, “And I know it’s only been one month and we’ve barely even seen each other for that time, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything you need to as long as you’re comfortable with it because I’m here for you.”

 

Soonyoung smiled down at him and drew in a shaky breath that moulded into a sigh, “Thank you. Same goes for you.”

 

Seokmin smiled and gave him another peck, “Wanna play never have I ever?”

 

Soonyoung snorted, “What are we? 15?”

 

“It’ll be fun,” Seokmin insisted, lacing their fingers together and making them wave at each other, “Please?”

 

“Fine,” Soonyoung caved in easily, “You start.”

 

Seokmin thought for a second, “Never have I ever had my dick sucked.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t even question the instant sexual theme due to shock, “ _ Seriously _ ?”

 

“Yup, I was always the dick sucker or the clit licker.”

 

“Your glorious dick has been neglected, how sad,” the skater’s voice contained some genuine sadness with it’s mirth, “We’ll have to change that.”

 

“Yes please,” Seokmin purred, “What about you?”

 

“Of course I have. I can’t believe you haven’t.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “Another one of nature’s many mysteries.”

 

“You’re not kidding,” he huffed, “Never have I ever....”

 

Soonyoung’s silence prompted Seokmin’s interruption, “You’ve done a lot of stuff, huh?”

 

“What can I say, I’m adventurous,” Soonyoung winked and then straightened with his idea, “Never have I ever had vanilla sex.”

 

“You’re shitting me.”

 

“ _ That’s _ not very vanilla.”

 

“Ew, no,” Seokmin pulled a face, “You’ve never had sex just for the actual sex part?”

 

Pursing his lips in thought, Soonyoung shook his head, “Nope.”

 

“Then that’s another thing we’ll have to change.”

 

“Isn’t it boring? Like what do you do for the whole time?” Soonyoung questioned innocently but rather worrisomely.

 

“You have sex?”

 

“You just go at it for hours?”

 

“You make love,” Seokmin said for lack of a better phrase, “Haven’t you ever made love with someone?”

 

At the hardened expression on Soonyoung’s face, Seokmin wished he’d never suggested the game in the first place, “I guess not if that’s your definition of it.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that, look at me,” Soonyoung did as told, “If your definition of making love is someone spanking your ass till its purple then that’s fine as long as that’s what you want, but I just meant it as in you just have sex to express your love rather than to indulge in your sexual desire.”

 

“Can’t you do both at once?”

 

“Of course you can, look, I will  _ gladly _ teach you the difference between having sex and making love if that’s what you want, but I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to do either because as you know…”

 

At the expectant expression, Soonyoung ended the sentence for the coach, “Consent turns you on. You weren’t joking.”

 

“Of course I wasn’t joking. It’s hot. Never have I ever been ice skating—”

 

“ _ No way. _ ”

 

“—just for fun. Yes way.”

 

“But you’re an ex figure skater?” Soonyoung enquired, rather confused.

 

“I’ve never been ice skating  _ just for fun, _ ” he emphasised, “and I haven’t stepped foot into a rink since I broke my ankle.”

 

Soonyoung smiled bitterly, “Is it better now?”

 

“It’s been years,” Seokmin assured him, squeezing their still linked hands even closer together as they hovered in the gap between them, “It’s fine now. Aches in winter, though.”

 

“It is winter,” Soonyoung realised with a sad pout.

 

“It’s only October,” Seokmin attempted to soothe the other’s worry, swaying their hands from side to side between them.

 

“It might as well be winter when the temperature is in the minuses every day.”

 

“Fair point.”

 

“Do you want to skate again? You were amazing at it…”

 

Seokmin sighed and gnawed on the inside of his cheek, “I’ll never be as good as I was and that’ll just make me sad.”

 

“You’ll still be  _ leagues _ better than most people.”

 

Seokmin shook his head, “It won’t be the same. I’ll be worried about hurting myself again and I don’t ever want to experience pain like that again.”

 

A younger Soonyoung had the displeasure of watching the whole accident on live television at the 2014 Winter Olympics. It was the first time that young figure skater Lee Seokmin qualified for the games and he was on track to achieving some form of medal to hang alongside his gleaming collection, but a nasty fall shattered those chances and every bone in his ankle.

 

It wasn’t so bad at first, his ankle was just twisted, but then the weight of his body and the force from landing a jump with so much momentum made the weak bones give up and Seokmin had screamed before completely blacking out. 

 

“Do you even remember the pain? You passed out,” Soonyoung pointed out softly, not trying to offend the other.

 

“The few seconds I was conscious were more than enough to scare me off of the ice for good, let’s just put it that way,” Seokmin gave a halfhearted half smile, “I then had all the pain of realising that, you know, my career was over and I had nothing else to do. Jeonghan was my training partner while I was a skater and to be frank, my coach was pretty shit. After getting through legal stuff I became Jeonghan‘s official coach and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

 

Soonyoung sighed in pity for the other and asked in genuine curiosity, trying to place himself into the other’s shoes, “Don’t you miss it?”

 

“I try not to dwell on it,” Seokmin sighed honestly, “I’m fully aware I could probably go back to training and work up to a certain level of competitive skating again, but I’ve had my glory and I like my life now. I’m more than happy to get to train Jeonghan and help him achieve what I couldn’t.”

 

Soonyoung bit his lip, “What if he can’t either?”

 

“Are you implying that you’re going to beat him at the Olympics?” Seokmin asked with a smile of amusement.

 

“Potentially.”

 

“And what if he  _ potentially  _ beats you?”

 

“That’s not a possibility.”

 

“So modest,” Seokmin marvelled sarcastically.

 

“Just confident,” Soonyoung corrected, “I believe it’s my turn. Never have I ever been a coach.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes, “So we’re staying the obvious now. Never have I ever dyed my hair purple.”

 

“Never have I ever read  _ The Art of War _ .”

 

Seokmin looked flummoxed, “How did you know?”

 

“It’s on your bookshelf,” Soonyoung pointed to the wooden unit built into the wall opposite the windowed wall, “Gold writing on a black spine. Lucky guess that you’d actually read it, though. Is it any good?”

 

Seokmin nodded, “Great. Very philosophical and easy to read, but also easy to miss the meaning if you don’t actually think about it. Never have I ever read a  _ Haruki Murakami _ book.”

 

“Don’t _ ever  _ tell Wonwoo that or he’ll never speak to you again. How did you know that I have?”

 

“I’m your fan, remember?” Seokmin smiled, “I follow enough accounts to have seen pictures of you holding a  _ Murakami _ book at the airport.”

 

“Aw,” Soonyoung cooed, resuming the rhythmic swaying of their hands between them, “You have a fan account for me.”

 

“And? I bet you have one for Dokyeom.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed, “Only one? You offend me.”

 

“How many do you have then?” Seokmin asked, smiling in curiosity.

 

“Three. Two on Twitter and one on Tumblr.”

 

“Instagram?”

 

“I just follow him with my personal account, my fans know that I like him anyway.”

 

Seokmin hummed and brought their hands down to rest in the space between them, “What would you do if you met him?”

 

“Tell him how much I love him and his music and his personality and his voice and—“

 

“I get it,” Seokmin interrupted with a chuckle, “Should I be jealous?”

 

“Not at all. I love and respect him as an inspiration. I’m not attracted to him.”

 

Seokmin mumbled, “As far as you know.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing. Do you want something to eat? Late lunch? Early dinner?”

 

Soonyoung pondered, “Late lunch because I’m not that hungry,” and then whined from his comfortable perch on Seokmin’s lap, “but I don’t want to move.”

 

“You don’t have to,” Seokmin whined back in mimicry, standing up and holding Soonyoung by the thighs, “You’re heavier than you look.”

 

Soonyoung snorted, wrapping his legs around the other’s waist and his arms around his neck, “Such flattery. I am pretty much just pure muscle, what did you expect?”

 

“I expected myself to be stronger. You weren’t this heavy when I picked you up bridal style.”

 

“When did you do that?” Soonyoung asked while being set down onto the counter.

 

“Last time you were here and you started to fall asleep on the sofa.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Soonyoung remembered, slightly embarrassed.

 

“It was cute,” Seokmin stated, giving Soonyoung a doting peck on the lips before stepping away from him, the latter’s limbs reluctantly unwrapping from around the coach.

 

“What are you making?” Soonyoung enquired, swinging his feet slightly. 

 

“A sandwich,” Seokmin replied while fetching the bread, “Do you want ham or cheese or both?”

 

“Both. I haven’t had a ham and cheese sandwich for  _ years _ ,” Soonyoung realised almost painfully.

 

Seokmin huffed in amusement while navigating the fridge, “Well then today’s your lucky day.”

 

Soonyoung just smiled in response and sat there in comfortable silence while Seokmin prepared their late lunch. The skater was startled to attention by his phone vibrating insistently in his pocket; a message from Wonwoo, no doubt.

 

**wonuwu:** can I have Seokmin’s number?

 

**kwon_ice:** why??

 

**wonuwu:** in case you don’t answer your phone 

 

Sooyoung furrowed his brows at this. He always answers his phone almost instantly and Wonwoo knows this. Seokmin noticed his expression while handing him a plated sandwich, “What is it?”

 

Soonyoung accepted it gratefully and shook his head, sliding off of the counter while replying to both males, “Nothing, just Wonwoo.”

 

**kwon_ice:** I always answer my phone tho??

 

**wonuwu:** please Soonyoung

 

He sat on the sofa with a confused huff and set the plate down on the coffee table, leaning forward to rest his wrists on his knees while he stared at the message. Seokmin peered over his shoulder from the seat next to him, “Why do you look like you’re trying to solve a maths equation?”

 

“That would probably be easier,” Soonyoung sighed in mild amusement, turning the phone in Seokmin’s direction so the coach can read the conversation.

 

“Is giving him my number a problem?” Seokmin asked, confused, “Because I don’t mind him having it.”

 

Soonyoung waved the idea away, “No, it’s not that. It’s just weird. He could’ve asked for it ages ago so why now?”

 

Seokmin responded after forcefully swallowing a mouthful of sandwich, “He probably just wants to make sure you’re safe. In fact, I’d like to have his number too.”

 

“Why?”

 

“For the same reason, to make sure you’re safe. It’s not gonna do you any harm to give him my number.”

 

Soonyoung pursed his lips, “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s just his way of speaking, well typing, is really weird in these messages.”

 

“You’re probably overthinking it,” Seokmin suggested before inhaling another monstrous bite of his sandwich while Soonyoung’s lay untouched on the coffee table.

 

“Probably,” Soonyoung hummed, sending the contact details to Wonwoo and receiving a smiling emoji in response. 

 

“Eat up,” Seokmin ordered, “You haven’t even touched that sandwich that I practically slaved over for a whole two minutes.”

 

Soonyoung snorted and picked up the plate, moving it to his lap, “I am truly sorry for putting you through such hardships.”

 

“Anything for you darling,” Seokmin drawled in a joking manner, pinching Soonyoung’s cheek and then promptly gasping, “Your cheeks are so squishy.”

 

“So I’ve been told,” Soonyoung responded around a mouthful of food, and then swallowed, “It’s the only place I can’t lose weight from.”

 

“Aw, don’t even try to lose it,” Seokmin whined, hand now resting on Soonyoung’s shoulder with his thumb creeping up the other’s neck and his finders extending towards the skater’s spine, “It’s cute.”

 

“I know,” Soonyoung winked, stuffing his plump cheeks with the remainder of the first half of the sandwich, “I just think it’d be nice to look more manly sometimes.”

 

“The beauty of contouring, my friend,” Seokmin said, removing his hand from the other to tend to Woojoo who just jumped onto his lap.

 

“ _ Friend?”  _ Soonyoung questioned incredulously, half joking.

 

“Boyfriend,” Seokmin quickly corrected, “My  _ boyfriend.” _

 

Soonyoung hummed happily, “That sounds nice.”

 

“Good, I’m glad. I hope you don’t get tired of hearing it.”

 

Soonyoung scoffed, “As if.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

They spent the next few hours engaged in comfortable conversation that usually only flows so naturally after years of cohabitation. Seokmin had insisted on doing the dishes from their late lunch as soon as they finished which led to Soonyoung insisting that he be the one to dry and stack the clean dishes. The pair cleaned up efficiently with the only thing slowing them down being Soonyoung playing Dokyeom’s entire discography and belting out the words while Seokmin smiled and bit his tongue.

 

After that they had relocated to the sofa and became engaged in tales of the past; funny stories from their childhood and the things they used to enjoy doing before skating. They also caught up on the past month they had spent apart with Soonyoung complaining about how much he ached and Seokmin whining about all the meetings he had to sit though.

 

When their stomachs forced them to crave an evening meal, they sadly shifted off of the comfort of the sofa and into the coldness of the kitchen. Seokmin made them a quick meal while Soonyoung watched from his usual perch on the counter. They ate the load of noodles mixed with vegetables, meat and subtle spices quite quickly, both equally as eager to return to animated conversation.

 

Seokmin stated that he was going to brush his teeth and Soonyoung decided to join him, fetching his toothbrush from his gym bag and then stealing some of Seokmin’s toothpaste. The pair emerged from the bathroom together with Seokmin deciding that it was an opportune moment for a back hug. The coach snuck his hands around Soonyoung’s waist under the skater’s own arms and perched his chin on his shoulder. Soonyoung’s hands came up by reflex to hold loosely onto Seokmin’s forearms which lay fastened across his own torso as they waddled back to the sofa, “What brought this on?”

 

“Nothing,” Seokmin responded happily, “Just wanted to hug you.”

 

“That’s a good enough reason,” Soonyoung smiled, turning around in the hold to return the embrace, “But I want to hug you too.”

 

Seokmin huffed fondly, halting the pair where they stood a few steps from the sofa, “Isn’t like I’m gonna say no to that.”

 

Soonyoung inhaled and exhaled deeply, completely content to have his face buried in the other’s shoulder. He came to the quick conclusion that Seokmin is one of those people who gives amazing hugs; the kind where it seems as though warmth is being physically pressed into you.

 

“Are you okay?” Seokmin’s deep voice vibrated through his body.

 

“More than okay,” Soonyoung assured in a muffle, “Just really needed a hug, apparently.”

 

Seokmin tightened the embrace at this, “Well, I’m always here to supply.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in a delighted response and untucked his head to look at the coach. The winter sun settling behind thick clouds created a rather cold light in the living room but still accentuated the sharp facial structure of the man in front of him. Soonyoung isn’t religious and never has been, but if there really is a God is must definitely have this very face.

 

Seokmin smiled down at the quizzical look he was receiving, “What is it?”

 

Soonyoung blinked as though snapped out of a haze, “Nothing, just admiring your face.”

 

The coach smile widened shyly, “I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

 

“You could kiss me, you know, as a thank you for the compliment,” Soonyoung suggested with a mischievous head tilt.

 

Seokmin hummed in thought and elongated his words to tease the other, “I guess I could.”

 

“I think you should,” Soonyoung whined in a mimicked tone of Seokmin’s voice.

 

Seokmin gave in and kissed the other briefly but Soonyoung chased his lips with his own and kept them connected. Determined to match his feverence, Seokmin pressed forwards with just as much force and backed Soonyoung into the wooden dining table. Before he could even consider hoisting the other up onto the surface, Soonyoung jumped up himself after breaking their kiss and then pulled Seokmin between his legs.

 

The pair laughed when their heads banged together accidentally at the sudden shift and Seokmin took this interruption as a good chance to diverge from Soonyoung’s lips and traverse along his jawline in soft pecks. Soonyoung tilted his head back and tightened his hold on Seokmin’s shirt when the latter began to suck at the skin at the top of his jugular and the curve of his jaw. 

 

Soonyoung’s breath hitched and then he made a startled sound in the back of his throat when Seokmin raked his nails up his back under his shirt; arching into the coach without much of a choice. Seokmin smoothed over the area with the soft pads of his fingers as his hands moved back to rest on Soonyoung’s lower back.

 

Seokmin pulled away to look at the dishevelled skater, “You smell like oranges.”

 

“My shower gel,” Soonyoung explained in a hasty daze while tugging at the hem of Seokmin’s shirt, “Off.”

 

Seokmin did as instructed and removed the garment, leaving Soonyoung missing the upper body warmth for the two seconds it was gone and then relishing in it’s return when Seokmin kissed him again.

 

“You too,” Seokmin prompted gently, fingers playing along the hem of Soonyoung’s shirt, “Off.”

 

The skater complied and released a heavy breath contentedly when Seokmin busied his mouth at the base of his neck. Soonyoung explored the new skin with curious hands that left silent shivers running along Seokmin’s sides. He found the other’s body to be both lean and healthy, and had a profound appreciation for Seokmin’s small tummy that was at all nothing like his own flat torso.

 

Seokmin pressed a doting kiss onto Soonyoung’s bare shoulder and then stood up straight to look at him, “Do you want to move somewhere comfier?”

 

“Are you insinuating that we move to your bedroom?” Soonyoung enquired in amusement.

 

Seokmin raised an eyebrow while Soonyoung’s fingers tapped a rhythm on his shoulders, “I was actually thinking the sofa, but if it’s bedroom you want then it’s bedroom you’ll get.”

 

Soonyoung  _ giggled _ when Seokmin hoisted him off of the table and carried him towards the bedroom; the latter completely mesmerised by the gleeful sound. They fell back onto the bed with a small laugh, Soonyoung landing on his back with Seokmin caging him in, and it was comfortable. Nothing felt wrong to Soonyoung as they kissed like that, shirtless and entwined, but when Seokmin removed the skater’s hands from around his neck and pinned them above his head something flickered in Soonyoung’s mind.

 

His body jolted with the resurfaced memory and his breathing picked up substantially. He became unresponsive to Seokmin’s lips and the attentive coach noticed it straight away, pulling back to look at Soonyoung, “What’s wrong?”

 

Soonyoung looked scared, his eyes were wide and his chest was heaving. Seokmin let go of his hands to wipe away Soonyoung’s silent tears, and the fact that the skater still kept his now free hands above his head didn’t escape Seokmin’s notice, “Soonyoung, what’s wrong? Look at me, breathe.”

 

The constant, stuttering arch of Soonyoung’s back seemed to cease the more he looked at Seokmin’s concerned face above him and realised he was completely safe. Seokmin gently moved Sooyoung's hands down from above his head and rolled off of the skater, lying at his side and loosely holding his hand, “I’m sorry.”

 

“It is not your fault,” Soonyoung snapped surprisingly fast, breath evening out, “I should’ve told you.”

 

“You can tell me whenever you’re ready.”

 

Soonyoung rolled onto his side to face Seokmin, sighed deeply and appeared as though he was about to start speaking, only to sigh again. Seokmin was patient while this process repeated for a minute or so until the skater began talking while fiddling with Seokmin’s warm fingers that lay between them.

 

“You’re gonna find a lot of this out anyway so I might as well just tell you the bedroom related stuff. I like...things that could easily he misused and abused by my partner.”

 

“Like what?” Seokmin prompted gently.

 

“Rough stuff,” Soonyoung stated after a beat of hesitation, slightly bashful, “Being restrained, hurt to an extent, humiliated, that kind of stuff.”

 

“Right, I understand how someone could abuse that. You’re basically giving them all the power in that moment.”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung agreed with bright eyes, glad that Seokmin wasn’t judgmental and seemed to be genuinely understanding without Soonyoung having to describe absolutely everything, “I trusted him with my life and my body.”

 

“And he abused that trust,” Seokmin guessed.

 

“Many times.”

 

“Why didn’t you leave him after the first time it happened?” Seokmin enquired in worry.

 

“I thought it was an accident,” Soonyoung admitted honestly, “To be fair it could’ve been an accident the first time, but it kept happening and I kept feeling more and more like I didn’t want to be there.”

 

“You were scared,” Seokmin inferred, gaze never leaving Soonyoung’s even while the latter’s travelled around the room in thought.

 

“Yeah I guess,” shaky exhale, “Yeah, yeah I was so fucking scared.”

 

“It’s okay to admit that,” Seokmin reassured, feeling like the other hadn’t quite come to terms with it as much as he liked to let on, “You were scared.”

 

“I was,” Soonyoung began to tear up and Seokmin pulled him into a warm embrace with his head perched on top of the skater’s, “I was so fucking scared of him.”

 

“He’s gone now,” Seokmin promised gently.

 

“I know,” Soonyoung spoke shakily into Seokmin’s bare torso, hands balled up and pressed against his chest, “I hate that he still makes me feel like this.”

 

Seokmin stayed quiet for a while, stroking a comforting hand through Soonyoung’s hair, “When did you first realise you were scared of him?”

 

“About a year before I left him.”

 

“Shit, Soonyoung.”

 

“I know, I’m a fucking idiot, but I didn’t know what to do,” Soonyoung’s voice came out strained and his body was shaking slightly, more than enough to shatter Seokmin’s heart.

 

“You’re not an idiot at all. You were in a tough situation and you were scared. How did you know the guy anyway?”

 

“He goes to, well he  _ went _ to,” Soonyoung corrected himself, pulling away from Seokmin slightly to look at him while speaking, “my dance studio. The one that I opened when I won my first completion. I don’t have much time to go there now, but I did back then and that’s how I met him.”

 

“So you couldn’t really do anything because you’d see him at dance anyway?”

 

“Yeah, sort of. I felt like even if we broke up he’d do something to me at dance and I just didn’t feel safe. I know that feeling would’ve only increased if I broke up with him,” Soonyoung scoffed, “To be honest, I didn’t think I’d survive breaking up with him.”

 

“You loved him that much?” Seokmin asked with furrowed brows.

 

“No, I felt like he would kill me if I tried to leave him.”

 

“Jesus,” Seokmin exclaimed in concern, “How did you break up with him, then?”

 

Soonyoung took a long shaky breath in before sighing deeply, “Eventually I told Wonwoo everything, only because he saw all the bruises I had and wouldn’t leave me alone. That night when I went to my apartment  _ he  _ was already there and he threw me against the wall instantly because he wanted a quick fuck even though he nearly beat me to unconsciousness the night before.”

 

Seokmin’s expression kept getting more and more pained but he allowed the other to speak without any interruptions.

 

“I refused him and somehow got him to sit down so I could speak to him about it, and when I told him I wanted to break up, he snapped like I expected. I honestly thought I was going to die.”

 

“What did he do?” Seokmin enquired gently, taking one of Soonyoung’s shaking hands in one of his own.

 

“Just started kicking the shit out of me,” Soonyoung huffed in a breathless laugh, “Think he hurt his toe at one point so he stopped and I ran. He chased me and I defended myself by hitting him with the blades of my skates. He didn’t seem to care about the cuts on his arms though, he just wanted me gone because I defied him.”

 

Seokmin waited while it appeared that Soonyoung was painfully reliving the moment before he continued, “Because Wonwoo is the smart friend and he knows I’m an idiot, he came over to the apartment soon after I’d gotten home myself and could obviously hear me screaming for help. Thankfully he brought Mingyu with him cuz there’s no way his scrawny ass could’ve broken the door down alone.”

 

Soonyoung managed a humourless laugh at the thought, “ _ He _ was buffer than Mingyu but Gyu had a very big height advantage and also threatened to call the police. Somehow they got him away from me and I ran and ran until I ended up at the dance studio of all places. Wonwoo came and found me after that and I told him everything. We packed up and moved to Seoul, which ended up being more convenient for Wonwoo too since Mingyu was already based in Seoul.”

 

“You’ve never seen him since?” Seokmin asked softly after digesting the story.

 

“Not once. The last image of him I have is his arms covered in blood from the blades of my skates and the look on his face of pure rage.”

 

“Jesus, I don’t really know what to say,” Seokmin admitted, wiping away some of Soonyoung’s silent tears again, “I’m glad you got away from him.”

 

“Me too. I don’t expect you to say much, I’m just glad I could tell you so now you know.”

 

Seokmin worried at his bottom lip with his teeth, “The things he used to do with you in a sexual way, do you still like them? I feel like I’ve been a bit rough sometimes and I’m sorry if you didn’t like it.”

 

“You have been nothing but gentle to me even while being slightly rough, if that even makes sense. I’d never had anyone ask permission for literally everything till you came along,” Soonyoung said in slightly mocking mirth which quickly disappeared, “And to answer your question, I have absolutely no idea. You’re the first person to touch me since I broke up with him years ago.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

Soonyoung nodded, “I haven’t had a relationship or sex since then, so you can understand now why Wonwoo was very cautious of you at the start.”

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

“I don’t know if I’m still into the same things because I don’t know how I’ll react to them if they happen.”

 

“I can help you find out, if you want?” Seokmin offered seriously, no playfulness.

 

“Okay.”

 

“No. I want your definite opinion, okay? Do you want to explore what you like again with me or not?”

 

Soonyoung thought for a moment, “Yes.”

 

“Okay, cool. At your own pace, whenever you’re ready, you let me know what you want. Also, what’s your safeword?”

 

“Safeword?”

 

“Oh God,” Seokmin groaned, “Of course he didn’t give you a safeword, why would he? It’s a word you say if you want whatever is happening to stop, since sometimes actually saying ‘no’ or other negations is part of whatever is going on.”

 

“I know what it is,” Soonyoung replied slowly, sombre, “But he never gave me one.”

 

“Pick a word, then,” Seokmin whispered softly after a bitter smile, “Any world at all.”

 

“Chicken.”

 

“Chicken it is. If you say chicken I’ll stop everything.”

 

“Don’t you also need a safeword?”

 

Seokmin blinked, “Yeah, actually. It can be chicken for me too.”

 

“And what happens if you, uh,” Soonyoung began, flushing a slight red that definitely wasn’t brought on by his earlier tears, “can’t speak?”

 

“You know Rock Paper Scissors? Make a scissors with your hand and I’ll stop. If for some reason you can’t use your hands either we’ll think of something else, but you will  _ always _ have a way of stopping whatever is going on, okay?”

 

Soonyoung nodded gently, eyes trained on their linked hands where Seokmin was drawing shapes on the back of his palm with his thumb, “Okay.”

 

“You wanna go to sleep?” Seokmin asked quietly after a moment of comfortable silence.

 

“No,” Soonyoung blurted defiantly and then began to trail off, “I want to continue…”

 

“Pick up where we left off? Are you sure?”

 

Soonyoung nodded and finally stared deep into Seokmin’s kind eyes, “I want to try.”

 

“If you’re sure,” Seokmin checked before lifting himself up to settle on top of Soonyoung again, elbows lying next to the skater’s shoulders with not much space between their faces, “Hi.”

 

“Hi,” Soonyoung smiled up at him.

 

“Is this okay?”

 

“No.”

 

Seokmin’s heart dropped, “What’s wrong with this?”

 

“You’re not kissing me,” Soonyoung’s eyes glinted in amusement and Seokmin exhaled in relief, taking that as all the confirmation he needed before connecting their lips in a sweet kiss, the force of it gently pressing Soonyoung’s head into the pillows.

 

When they separated for air, Soonyoung released a contented sigh, eyes slightly glassy, and prompted a smiling question from Seokmin, “What?”

 

“You’d never hurt me,” Soonyoung declared in a loving, breathy voice.

 

“I wouldn’t dare dream of it,” Seokmin assured him in a whisper against his lips, gently taking the skater’s hands and bringing them above his head like earlier, in a very loose grip, “Is this okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung shuddered, “Because it’s you. You would never hurt me.”

 

“Never in a million years even if you asked me to,” Seokmin confirmed, letting go of Soonyoung’s wrists and rising up to a kneeling position over Soonyoung’s hips, “You’re so beautiful.”

 

Soonyoung’s eyes widened and he visibly blushed, pulling his hands down from above his head to lay his forearms across his eyes bashfully, “Shut up.”

 

“It’s the truth,” Seokmin urged, gently moving Soonyoung’s arms away and lacing their fingers together over Soonyoung’s stomach, “You are incredibly beautiful.”

 

Soonyoung squirmed under the praise and gave a shy response, “You’re not too shabby yourself.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Seokmin huffed in laughter, “You really know how to make a guy feel loved.”

 

“I can’t find the right words to describe how perfect I think you are,” Soonyoung retorted sincerely, making Seokmin’s gaze falter in shy surprise. He didn’t say anything in response and simply smiled at Soonyoung before rolling onto his back and dragging Soonyoung up on top of him, their positions successfully switched.

 

“What are you doing?”” Soonyoung questioned in confusion at the sudden change.

 

“You aren’t the only one who likes to be restrained sometimes,” Seokmin winked, bringing their still linked hands up above his own head and causing Soonyoung to lean down over him, pressing their hands into the pillows, “I also figured you never got any control in your last relationship, so here, have me as you wish.”

 

Soonyoung looked down at Seokmin in shock and admiration, thinking that he definitely couldn’t’ve found anyone better to be with, “Thank you.”

 

“You don’t need to thank me,” Seokmin scolded gently, his face an inch or so from Soonyoung’s, “This is an equal relationship and if you belong to me then I belong to you too. I want to help you move on from him.”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung breathed out, “Thank you.”

 

“Stop thanking me and kiss me instead,” Seokmin commanded in a joking manner to which Soonyoung was more than happy to comply, kissing the elder through a smile.

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! A kudos makes me smile and a comment makes my day :D
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆
> 
> also y'all bETTER CHECK OUT THE [CUTE ARTWORK UNDER MY PINNED](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) THAT I COMMISSIONED FROM @teascoup!!! The outfits are outfits they will wear at a certain point in this fic :)
> 
> ...there are now four of u following the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/xiiaeo/playlist/389Kfrff7XN9q40r7wDcDV?si=TjKZQGzzTa-RrBWqwc3KpA) ...my army is growing...<3
> 
> EDIT: later today I got a notification and I can't stop screaming about how [amazing this artwork by @Ley_aaan is](https://twitter.com/Ley_aaan/status/1008426069446266881) and the fact that it was made for me?? n i didnt even ask for it or anything?? im so amazed and grateful and I'd love it if you guys could please give some love to the artist <3<3


	5. hostage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter starts off a bit slow/on the sadder side but somehow gets steamy for the last three thousand words ksjdfnks
> 
> sorry for not updating sooner, it's still been a month like last time ;; i thought i'd get faster because it's the holidays but i just got writer's block instead ;; also next chapter the pace can pick up with the Cup of China and the rest of svt finally making an appearance!!
> 
> thank you for all the support so far, I really love you all and every single kudos, comment, bookmark and subscription <3 I see every single one of them and I love you all endlessly <3<3<3
> 
> hostage - Billie Eilish ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/1WsEgieHsWWndAzLkmV105?si=H6D7JHjwTEaWy67qE5qP7w) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9sUkJry_XA)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Soonyoung stood in the kitchen, leaning back against the counter with his weight shifted onto one foot and his hand over his forehead pinching his temples. It was around 2am and as Soonyoung had anticipated he had woken up from a nightmare several minutes ago drenched in sweat.

 

Every time he recants the long tale of his previous abuse he suffers with nightmares for a while due to the memories being fresh in his mind once again, and this time seemed to be no different.

 

After being tangled in each other for some time, any tension between the pair dissolved into a sleepy but thoughtful haze with Soonyoung apologising for ruining the mood. Seokmin had told him to stop being ridiculous and encouraged the skater to sleep while secure in his embrace. Seokmin hadn’t woken up when Soonyoung jolted awake in his arms so Soonyoung slipped away from him and out of the bedroom quietly, in desperate need of water to replenish his fluids; the chill of the early hours had demanded that he first put a shirt on.

 

That’s how he found himself in the kitchen, empty glass hanging loosely from the his fingers while the others massaged his temples. Thoughts and memories were battling for his attention and the rhythmic ticking of the clock didn’t even register to Soonyoung over his inner turmoil.

 

“Soonyoung?”

 

Smashing on the wooden floor, the glass had slipped through his fingers due to the shock of the unexpected voice. A second later, he recognised the tone as Seokmin’s and he realised what he’d just done, crouching down in a frenzy to collect the scattered shards, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

 

“Soonyoung—”

 

“I’m sorry!”

 

“Soonyoung!” the skater winced at the raised voice and stared straight into Seokmin’s concerned gaze with his eyes full of fear. 

 

“Hey,” Seokmin called softly, taking Soonyoung’s hands in his to make him drop the big pieces of glass he’d collected, “It’s only a glass, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

 

Soonyoung nodded meekly, body shaking and eyes brimming with tears. Seokmin’s heart constricted and he gently guided Soonyoung back into a standing position and timidly hugged the shorter male, “What’s wrong?”

 

Soonyoung released a choked sob and a long awaited exhale, arms wrapping around Seokmin to cling to him desperately. The latter returned the strength of the embrace and waited patiently for Soonyoung to release enough of his tears to be able to speak again, “I had a nightmare.”

 

“About him?” Seokmin asked gently and received a quick nod into his shoulder, “It was only a dream.”

 

Soonyoung made a strange noise, halfway between a sob and a bitter laugh, “It was a memory.”

 

Seokmin sighed pensively but Soonyoung seemed to misinterpret it and mumbled sadly, “I’m sorry. You didn’t sign up for all this shit.”

 

“You didn’t sign up to have all that shit happen to you,” Seokmin countered and then spoke again after a pause filled with only Soonyoung’s sniffling, “Do you want to talk about the nightmare?”

 

“No,” Soonyoung responded, pulling out of the embrace to wipe at his eyes while Seokmin’s hands slipped to hold him around the lower back, “I don’t know.”

 

Seokmin smiled reassuringly, back-lit by the dim moonlight, “Either way, right now, you’re safe. You’re okay and he can’t get to you.”

 

“I know,” Soonyoung sighed, dropping his hands to his side when Seokmin decided to take over wiping the tears on his face, “I know he can’t I’m just stupid.”

 

“You’re not stupid,” Seokmin insisted adamantly, “You’re scared. Do you want to go back to bed and sleep or do you want to stay up?”

 

“I don’t want to dream of him again,” Soonyoung snapped quickly, beginning to look rather frenzied again and so Seokmin was quick to reassure him.

 

“Then we’ll stay up.”

 

“That’s not fair on you.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes, letting his hands hang to find Soonyoung’s and tangle their fingers together, “I couldn’t care less about sleeping when you’re upset. Come on.”

 

Seokmin led the void skater to the sofa and sat them down, Soonyoung immediately curling into his side for warmth and comfort, “Do you want the TV on?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung responded simply, quietly.

 

Seokmin turned it on and left the channel on some old cartoon because it’s either that or the shopping channels at 3am. Appearing after realising both sources of warmth had left the bed, Woojoo trotted out of the bedroom and jumped onto Soonyoung’s lap, curling up in content. Soonyoung offered a small smile to the pet and stroked him lazily, until, against his own wishes, he fell asleep in the dimly lit living room.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung awoke to a glorious headache, a crusty trail down his chin to his lower cheek and his hair matted across his forehead; probably looking like a dull firework frozen in time. Opening his eyes a fraction he found himself still curled up on the sofa leaning on Seokmin but Woojoo was no longer sleeping on his lap. Soonyoung leaned away from the coach and wiped his hands over his face before stretching his arms overhead.

 

He looked around lazily for a clock but could not find one, and in the end his gaze settled on Seokmin’s still sleeping form. The latter had his head tipped back with his mouth hanging open and Soonyoung smiled fondly, reaching a hand to hold one of Seokmin’s and being shocked at how cold his skin felt when he gently called, “Seokmin? Wake up.”

 

The coach woke up instantly and snapped his head forward to look at Soonyoung in concerned alarm, “Are you okay?”

 

Soonyoung smiled in gratitude, “I’m fine. You’re freezing.”

 

Seokmin shrugged and wiped the sleep out of his eyes, “I’ll live. Did you sleep alright? You didn’t wake up from a nightmare again, did you?”

 

“I slept fine after sitting here with you,” Soonyoung slowly sunk back into Seokmin’s side with a yawn, “Did you sleep okay? I’m sorry you had to sleep sat on the sofa because of me.”

 

“I won’t lie I was a  _ bit _ cold but I’ll live, like I said,” he shrugged again indifferently, “I’m just glad that I woke up and found you in the kitchen. Promise me you’ll wake me up if it happens again?”

 

“I promise,” Soonyoung responded, smiling at the childish gesture of linking their pinkies and touching their thumbs together.

 

“Do you have nightmares often?”

 

Soonyoung sighed, “Not really. I only have them after telling people about  _ him _ . I used to have them all the time when I first left him but Wonwoo made me go to a therapist because it was really affecting my mental and physical health.”

 

“I have so much to thank Wonwoo for, he’s a good guy,” Seokmin concluded.

 

“Yeah, he is.”

 

After a pause and a yawn, Seokmin asked in a sleepy mumble, “Wanna get back in bed and sleep for a bit more?”

 

Soonyoung sighed whimsically, “You really are my soulmate.”

 

Seokmin stood up with a huffed laugh and attempted to pull Soonyoung up with him, but the latter resisted with the limp weight of his body and stretched his arms up to the coach, “Carry me.” 

 

“You’ve got two perfectly sculpted legs, use them,” Seokmin joked and Soonyoung whined.

 

“Please.”

 

The elder caved in easily (as usual) and allowed Soonyoung to latch onto him like a giggling Koala. He deposited the skater onto the bed and then walked around the other side to crawl in and snuggle up to him.

 

“What time is it?” Soonyoung murmured into Seokmin’s collarbones.

 

Having seen the digital clock on his bedside table, Seokmin answered, “Almost 9.”

 

“We should probably just get up then,” Soonyoung said with no real conviction, tangling his legs with Seokmin’s.

 

“We could but we won’t,” Seokmin replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Soonyoung’s head, “Sleep well.”

 

“You too,” came the whisper against Seokmin’s skin; Soonyoung clearly almost asleep already. Seokmin wondered how much Soonyoung had actually slept after his nightmare and if his sleep schedule from now on would be messed up; affecting his health and performance. He sighed in thought, carefully and stealthily retrieving his phone from behind him and sending a text to Wonwoo.

 

━ᕕ━

 

For the third time that morning, Soonyoung woke up wrapped in Seokmin’s warmth. The first time he ran from the embrace and the second time the pair were actually rather cold, but this time Soonyoung felt safe and content. He looked up to see Seokmin already awake and doing something on his phone, teeth worrying at his lower lip, “Hi.”

 

Seokmin promptly dropped the phone on his face with an indignified squawk and then quickly looked down at Soonyoung after removing it, “Jesus, you scared me.”

 

Cackling into the morning, Soonyoung responded through a smile, “I noticed, sorry.”

 

Seokmin smiled slightly, glad to see Soonyoung smiling despite the slight throb in his nose, “You don’t sound sorry at all.”

 

Soonyoung tried to muffle his laughter and failed, “I’m sorry, it was just too funny.”

 

“You’re not sorry,” Seokmin pouted.

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes and shuffled higher up the bed to kiss Seokmin on the nose, “Better?”

 

The coach couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across his face at the cute action, “Better.”

 

“Good,” Soonyoung nodded curtly, pleased, “Now, what were you so engrossed in on your phone anyway?”

 

“Business emails,” said with an eye roll, “I have more meetings to attend since the Cup of China is soon.”

 

“Sounds absolutely riveting.”

 

“Oh, it is,” Seokmin drawled sarcastically, “I just love sitting around a big table while a bunch of men in suits talk about the exact same stuff every time.”

 

Ignoring the mental image created by that sentence, Soonyoung picked out the key words and stringed together his own picture, “You’d look hot in a suit.”

 

Seokmin snorted, “Thanks. I’m sure you could find a picture of me in one online.”

 

Soonyoung quickly shook his head, “I gotta see it in real life or it doesn’t count.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll see it soon,” Seokmin promised and then deemed this an opportune moment, “Oh, also, I got something for you.”

 

Intrigued, Soonyoung allowed Seokmin to slip out of the bed and go rummaging in one of his drawers to return and perch on the sheets with a small plastic bag. The skater sat up, lower half still under the duvet, and rubbed his eyes while Seokmin began speaking, “You might have this already but I don’t think you’ll have it signed.”

 

“Signed?” 

 

Seokmin smiled and handed the bag over, “Just look at it.”

 

Upon peering into the bag, Soonyong instantly recognised the distinct shades of blue and pink and almost squealed. He removed the CD from the bag and marvelled at the blend of the colours before flipping it over to see that the front cover was indeed signed as Seokmin had implied.

 

Dokyeom’s signature took up most of the small square surface; Soonyoung recognised it from images posted by people who are lucky enough to win signed merchandise from the illusive singer. The signature alone was enough to make Soonyoung smile like he’d just won the lottery, but when he noticed the small note at the bottom his heart almost stopped.

 

**_To Soonyoung, I hope you’ll always be happy! Good luck in your competitions ^^_ **

 

“Oh my God.”

 

Seokmin smiled further, “I think you mean thank you.”

 

Soonyoung threw his arms around Seokmin and the strength of the embrace threatened to crush the coach, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank y—”

 

“Okay, okay! You’re welcome! Now let me breathe!” Seokmin begged and pried the skater off of him.

 

“How did you get this?” Soonyoung demanded to know, tracing his finger over the writing.

 

“I know a guy,” Seokmin winked slyly, “He happens to know that Dokyeom is a fan of yours.”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Soonyoung said in disbelief.

 

“I’m not joking,” Seokmin laughed at the reaction, “What would I gain from lying to you about this?”

 

“My undying love,” Soonyoung responded, deadly serious.

 

“Well I’m not lying, so does that mean I have your undying love?”

 

“Fuck yeah. God,” Soonyoung exclaimed giddily, “Dokyeom knows I exist.”

 

“He does indeed.”

 

“And you know someone close enough to Dokyeom to get me this.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “I guess you could say that.”

 

Suspicious, Soonyoung enquired, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Secret,” Seokmin winked, and was instantly tackled back onto the bed with Soonyoung on top of him and the precious CD next to them.

 

“Tell me.”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Why not.”

 

“I don’t know him. I’d tell you if I did,” Seokmin swore, hands up in surrender.

 

Soonyoung hummed and scrutinised the other’s expression before rolling off of him with a huff and back into the arms of his precious CD. Seokmin sat up and fixed his dishevelled hair, smiling fondly at Soonyoung being enamored by the writing on the CD, “I was going to give it to you later, but I wanted to see you happier after last night.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t want the conversation to steer in that direction again, so he merely expressed his gratitude at the thought through a soft smile with an equally soft voice, curled up hugging the CD, “Thank you.”

 

“You’re very welcome,” Seokmin replied, ruffling Soonyoung’s hair on his way out of the room to make breakfast for the pair.

 

Soonyoung marvelled at the album more once Seokmin had left. He felt around the bed for his phone and sent a picture to Wonwoo with a thousand exclamation marks; getting a reply almost instantly.

 

**wonuwu** : holy shit that’s so cool

**wonuwu** : how did you get that??

 

**kwon_ice** : seokmin got me it ^^

 

**wonuwu** : wow how??

 

**kwon_ice** : he won’t tell me ;;

**kwon_ice** : he’s being very secretive about it ;;

 

**wonuwu** : aw he’s probably not allowed to say

**wonuwu** : how are you doing?

 

Soonyoung sighed and debated mentally whether to tell Wonwoo the truth or not, but he swiftly remembered that Wonwoo’s the one who’s been with him through it all - not telling him is out of the question.

 

**kwon_ice** : better now, I had a nightmare last night ://

 

**wonuwu** : oh no :( did you tell Seokmin everything and that triggered it?

 

**kwon_ice** : yeah

 

**wonuwu** : how did he react?

 

Soonyoung remembered the moment that happened several hours ago and smiled appreciatively at how Seokmin handled the situation. In the moment, Soonyoung greatly cherished the gentleness from the coach, but thinking back on it with a clear head made him admire Seokmin even more.

 

**kwon_ice** : he was so sweet and gentle

**kwon_ice** : I’m pretty sure I love him

 

**wonuwu** : ew miss me with that gay shit

 

**kwon_ice** : bro you’re a gay

**kwon_ice** : you literally have a boyfriend

 

**wonuwu** : i do nOt

 

**kwon_ice** : when will this denial end smh

 

**wonuwu** : never because it doesn’t exist because I doN’t have a dAmn boyfriend

**wonuwu** : anyway this is about you

**wonuwu** : what happened when you had the nightmare?

 

**kwon_ice** : I left Seokmin and went to get a drink but he came cuz he must’ve woken up and I had a small heart attack and dropped the glass and it smashed and I panicked and he got worried and yeah

**kwon_ice** : we spoke about it this morning though it’s okay :))

 

**wonuwu** : it’s not okay :(( I hope you won’t have anymore and you know I’m here if you need to talk <3

 

**kwon_ice** : wow a heart, what happened to miss me with that gay shit?

 

**wonuwu** : stfu and accept my love <3<3

 

**kwon_ice** : ugh fine <3<3

 

Soonyoung rolled off of the bed and placed the treasured album on the bedside table where some of his other belongings resided. He made his way out of the dimly lit bedroom and was led to the kitchen by the smell of eggs being scrambled by Seokmin. Soonyoung came to stand behind the coach and leaned his head onto his shoulder, cheek squished against the fabric and hair tickling Seokmin’s neck, “Thank you, again.”

 

“It’s no problem, really,” Seokmin insisted, tending to the eggs.

 

“I imagine getting something like this from someone who is pretty much faceless is definitely not easy.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, temporarily squishing Soonyoung’s cheek even further, “It wasn’t that hard for me.”

 

“God you’re so cryptic,” Soonyoung moaned, leaving the coach’s side to get a glass of water, “It’s insufferable.” 

 

“You love it really,” Seokmin joked, and then jumped when the toast almost shot out of the toaster completely; an adorable scene in Soonyoung’s eyes.

 

“Hm, maybe I do,” Soonyoung shrugged, sipping on his water and then realising that the glass he smashed was no longer littering the floor, “Where’s the glass?”

 

Seokmin made a questioning noise and turned around to see the now clean floor where the skater was pointing, “I swept it up and put it in the bin.”

 

“Why?”

 

“What do you mean why?” Seokmin raised an eyebrow while scraping the eggs out of the pan and onto the waiting toast, “It would be dangerous to leave it there.”

 

“Yeah but it was me who made the mess…”

 

“Yeah, and? I cleaned it,” he handed a plate to Soonyoung, “It’s no big deal.”

 

“I was gonna clean it…”

 

“Yeah? Well I beat you to it,” Seokmin smiled, “Now come on, let’s eat so we can go sit with Jeonghan and Seungcheol in some aesthetic cafe while they suck face.”

 

Cleared glass forgotten, Soonyoung quickly followed Seokmin to the table with a questioning tone, “We’re doing  _ what? _ ”

 

“Wonwoo told us to go out with Jeonghan and Seungcheol, remember? Seungkwan’s orders,” Seokmin explained before taking a gargantuan bite of his egg toastie.

 

Soonyoung sat himself to the table with a groan and drawled with sarcastic enthusiasm, “Oh yeah, how could I have ever forgotten that.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes and swallowed, “It won’t be that bad, and besides, I finally won’t be an awkward third wheel to them anymore.”

 

“I’m happy for you,” Soonyoung replied genuinely, “But you know me and Jeonghan don’t get along.”

 

Seokmin sighed, “I know and I’m not asking for you to become best friends with him, just be civil. They’ll probably just talk between themselves anyway so we can just do the same.”

 

“Alright,” Soonyoung moaned, “I’ll be civil as long as he is.”

 

“He will be,” promised Seokmin, “Now eat up so we can leave.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

“I still don’t like this,” mumbled an unenthusiastic Soonyoung. The aforementioned was huddled in the corner of a small cafe that seemed to have a neutral colour scheme with the only occasional pops of colour being various potted plants. Even then, the only additional colour was green as winter prevented most flowers from blooming or caused them to crumble back into cracked soil. 

 

Soonyoung hadn’t brought much with him for his two night stay at Seokmins, and he hadn’t planned on leaving the coach’s apartment much, so he was clad in simple black jeans and a black top. However, when he reached for a hoodie and explained that he hadn’t brought a coat with him, Seokmin offered one of his many trench coats to the skater to protect him from the winter weather. 

 

The coat was white and had various coloured lines running along it horizontally and vertically, but not too many colours or lines that they seemed out of place. Soonyoung liked the coat because it smelled like Seokmin. The latter placed his hand on Soonyoung’s bouncing knee to steady it, “It’ll be fine. Remember this is just so people don’t get suspicious about me and you and think the wrong things.”

 

“They’re not wrong if they think we’re together,” Soonyoung pointed out, leg now still yet Seokmin’s hand remained there.

 

“I know, but they are wrong if they think that this is affecting our professional lives because it isn’t. This is literally the third time we’ve been together physically.”

 

“Yeah, true,” Soonyoung said in response and then spotted Jeonghan entering the cafe, boyfriend in tow, “Oh God.”

 

Seokmin snickered, “It’ll be fine. This is just a show for the media, if they’re watching. Be nice and smile.”

 

Jeonghan greeted them with a smile, bouncing over to the table while Seungcheol waited for their orders, “How are things going with you two?”

 

“Great,” Seokmin responded and received an eyebrow raise from Jeonghan, who had thankfully decided to sit opposite Seokmin.

 

“You both look kinda like shit, no offence,” Jeonghan pointed to the area under his eyes, indicating that he was referencing the tired expressions worn by the pair, “Didn’t sleep much?”

 

The question had a mischievous undertone to it but Soonyoung froze at the thought of having to tell Jeonghan about his past, and worried if Seokmin would just tell Jeonghan himself. He thought that the chance of the latter scenario was highly unlikely and his hypothesis was proven right when Seokmin covered for him, “When you’ve got a lot of stamina it would be a waste to not utilise it.”

 

Jeonghan gave a sly smile and agreed before turning his attention to Soonyoung, “How’s training going?”

 

“Fine,” he shrugged, “I’m ready to beat you  _ fairly _ at the Cup of China.”

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jeonghan smirked in response to the nature of their competition, “But I think  _ I’m  _ gonna beat  _ you _ .”

 

“Are not.”

 

“Am too.”

 

“ _ Are _ not.”

 

“ _ Am _ too.” 

 

“I didn’t realise I had a four-year-old for a boyfriend,” Seungcheol interrupted, taking the seat next to Jeonghan and putting their drinks down.

 

Seokmin mentally sighed in relief, glad to have another voice of reason at the table, “Same here.”

 

Both boyfriends gave their partner an annoyed look before huffing and sipping from their mugs in silence, leaving Seokmin and Seungcheol sharing a perplexed expression at the eery synchronisation. 

 

“How’s fitness training going?” Seokmin directed to either of the other couple.

 

“Good,” Seungcheol replied seriously, “His cardiovascular endurance has improved a lot and he can hold his breath for a long time.”

 

“What use is that for a figure skater?” Seokmin enquired naively about the latter half, glancing around to see Soonyoung’s knowing expression, “ _ Oh _ …I do not pay you to train him to do  _ that _ .”

 

“You don’t have to,” Seungcheol chuckled, “That kind of training is on the house.”

 

Jeonghan hit him on the shoulder, uncharacteristically bashful, “Shut up.”

 

“Make me,” Seungcheol challenged playfully.

 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes in dismissal before they lit up when he remembered something and he leaned forward to animatedly talk to Seokmin, “Guess who’s coming to Korea before they go to China?”

 

Seokmin thought for a second, “Joshua?”

 

“Yes!” Jeonghan beamed and Seungcheol shuddered.

 

“I’m sorry,” Seokmin said to Seungcheol, knowing how the other two males gang up on him when they’re together.

 

Seungcheol shrugged sadly, “I’ll live.”

 

Jeonghan hit him again, “You love it really, don’t lie,” and then turned to Soonyoung, “Vernon is coming too, if you want to tell Seungkwan.”

 

“Why would I tell Seungkwan that?”

 

“Because they’re dating?”

 

“They’re  _ what?” _

 

“Oh my God,” Jeonghan laughed, “How do you not know?”

 

“I know Seungkwan has a boyfriend,” Soonyoung began defensively, but then trailed off, “But I didn’t know it was Vernon.”

 

Seokmin put an arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders in a comforting manner, “Aw, at least you know now.”

 

“You knew too?” Soonyoung stared at Seokmin with betrayed eyes.

 

“Of course I did. Everyone does, apart from you apparently.”

 

“Why did no one tell me?”

 

“My guess is that everyone thought you knew,” Seokmin supplied.

 

“My life is a lie,” Soonyoung declared, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.

 

Seokmin’s arm slipped from around his shoulders and he patted the skater on the back instead, “Thanks for breaking my boyfriend.”

 

“Anytime,” Jeonghan winked, “But back to Shua, he’s gonna live with me and Cheol while he’s here and train at my rink too?”

 

At the questioning edge to Jeonghan’s voice, Seokmin reassured him, “Yeah, that’s fine. When do they get here?”

 

“Tonight.”

 

Seokmin choked on his lukewarm hot chocolate and cleared his throat violently so he could respond incredulously, “Tonight?! The Cup of China is still a  _ month _ away.”

 

“Yeah but it’s been so long since they came to Korea so they want some time to visit family and friends and all that jazz before going to Beijing.”

 

“Fair enough but why would you only tell me this now?”

 

Jeonghan shrugged and sipped his drink, “Slipped my mind.”

 

Soonyoung was only listening to the conversation at this point and fiddled with his fingers as the other three spoke about the American duo. He wasn’t thinking about much, but sometimes thinking about nothing is worse than overthinking everything. A warm hand landed on his knee again and he snapped out of his daze, gaze flying up to look at Seokmin while Seungcheol pestered Jeonghan for attention, “You okay?”

 

Soonyoung nodded quickly, “Yeah...just thinking…”

 

Seokmin gave an understanding smile and glanced back to their almost empty mugs, “We’ll go get something to eat when we’re done here, without those two,” he added, pointing a finger at the other couple.

 

Soonyoung nodded again and picked up his mug to have another mouthful. Over the rim of his mug, he could see Jeonghan laughing with Seungcheol and wondered how someone could be so two faced, and why he was seemingly the only person to realise this. Jeonghan sabotaged his skates and his chances of winning, but here he is, laughing with his boyfriend like any other person.

 

The hand, now on his mid thigh, gave a slight squeeze, “Maybe you should stop ‘just thinking’ for a while. Is there anything you want to do today?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “Just walk around? I haven’t been out for a while.”

 

“Anywhere in particular?” Seokmin pushed further.

 

“The Han River,” Soonyoung said slowly, as if unsure.

 

“Yeah?” Seokmin smiled simply, ”If that’s where you wanna go, then we’ll go.”

 

“Okay,” Soonyoung responded with a slight smile.

 

━ᕕ━

 

After saying goodbye to the other couple, Soonyoung and Seokmin went to a corner shop and purchased a bunch of snacks to eat as their impromptu lunch. They opened a bag of crisps after getting back in Seokmin’s car for their journey to the Han River, where they would find a place to sit and eat the rest of their food.

 

Soonyoung sighed, eyes downcast, and Seokmin spoke gently, “Are you still thinking about last night?”

 

He inhaled and then deflated before replying, “Not really. I’m just in a weird mood, sorry.”

 

“How many times do I need to tell you that you don’t need to apologise for stuff like this?” Seokmin complained in a whine, “I’m just asking because you  _ can _ talk to me if something’s on your mind.”

 

“I know,” Soonyoung ensured, “But my mind’s a bit blank right now…”

 

“I see,” Seokmin responded a bit awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed, and then changed the conversation topic after seeing a road sign, “We’re here.”

 

Soonyoung looked up for the first time since getting in the car and his mood lifted a little at seeing the familiar place. The pair got out of the car and Soonyoung shivered, “It’s cold.”

 

“I know. Come here,” Seokmin put his arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders and hugged the skater into his side, “Better?”

 

“A bit,” Soonyoung smiled.

 

Seokmin mirrored the expression and set them off on a walk to the grass closest to the river where they both sat on the practically frosted ground. Seokmin put the carrier bag down and sifted through it to find something to eat and then passed it to Soonyoung for him to do the same. 

 

They were some of the only people there due to the wintry weather and they sat in the serene silence for a while; Soonyoung gazing at the river and Seokmin gazing at him. Soonyoung sighed again after a while but this time it was not pensive but a complaint, “It’s too cold.”

 

“You wanted to come here,” Seokmin teased, giving the skater a look.

 

“I did, but I didn’t think we’d be sitting outside,” Soonyoung retorted, giving seokmin the same look since it was him who suggested having a picnic in October.

 

“We could get back in the car?” Seokmin suggested.

 

Soonyoung contorted his face in thought and nodded, “Yeah, let’s.”

 

They scooped up the carrier bag and briskly walked back to the car, Soonyoung halting Seokmin when he was about to sit in the driver’s seat, “We can’t cuddle in the front.”

 

“Good point,” Seokmin realised, sliding into the back instead. 

 

He sat next to the window and Soonyoung shuffled over to lean on him, cold hands seeking out the coach’s for warmth and comfort with a sigh, “I want to be happy.”

 

Seokmin leaned his head on top of Soonyoung’s in a nuzzle and may as well have whispered his words, “What’s wrong?”

 

“I should be happy right now,” Soonyoung continued in a sigh, watching the slow movement of Seokmin’s thumbs across his hands, “I’m with my boyfriend. There’s nothing wrong with my life. I have friends and money and food so why do I feel like shit?”

 

“You might have all that stuff but you’ve also got this thing called emotional trauma, and if you’re feeling shit then you have every right to feel shit,” Seokmin commented in a lighthearted manner but with the necessary seriousness. 

 

“It was  _ years _ ago,” Soonyoung spat, frustrated with himself.

 

“It takes time to heal,” Seokmin reminded the other, “And you seemed to be doing pretty well until you had to tell the whole story to me so I’m sorry. I know you’ve already said you don’t want an apology and that you wanted to tell me anyway, but I’m still sorry so please just accept my apology.”

 

“Of course I accept your apology, but if  _ I _ hadn't told you—”

 

“If  _ he _ hadn’t done it you wouldn’t need to tell anyone at all. None of this is your fault.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t respond to that and Seokmin was left for a few painstakingly long seconds wondering whether he’d sounded too harsh, until Soonyoung turned to look at him. The skater had a somehow intensely calm expression; Seokmin would never guess that the other was nervous. What gave him away was his pulse beating violently all the way to his hands that were still encased in Seokmin’s on the latter’s lap.

 

Soonyoung stared intently at Seokmin and leaned forward slowly to meet the other in a tender kiss, eyes slipping shut for a brief few seconds before they separated. Seokmin blinked down at him lazily and he kissed the other again and again and again before they maneuvered themselves to a horizontal position.

 

Seokmin sprawled across all three seats on his back, knees bent up, and Soonyoung hovered over him with one knee between Seokmin’s legs and the other on the outside. Soonyoung tried his best to not just lie on the other, but the limited space made it hard for him to hold his upper body up and so he just dropped down onto Seokmin, making the latter release a surprised burst of air as he was flattened. 

 

“Sorry,” Soonyoung huffed in a slight laugh, halting his kisses for now.

 

“S’fine,” Seokmin breathed, wiggling around to get comfier with Soonyoung effectively using him as a bed, “A little warning would’ve been appreciated though.”

 

“Noted for next time,” Soonyoung smiled.

 

“Are you suggesting we should make out in the back of my car more often?”

 

“Are you opposed to the idea?” 

 

“Of course not,” Seokmin scoffed in offence and then referenced the fact that they’ve practically merged into one person due to lack of space, “But it’s not that roomy.”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, slightly rising and falling with every breath Seokmin takes, “It’s cold. We’re just sharing body heat.”

 

“Mhm,” Seokmin hummed, hands already under Soonyoung’s coat sliding under his shirt and along his icy back, “Wow, you really are cold.”

 

“I told you,” Soonyoung shivered from the warmth of Seokmin’s hands gliding along his back. He sighed in content and lay his head onto Seokmin’s collarbone, nose buried in the latter’s neck while his back was being thawed. Complete silence encompassed the pair but it was interrupted by the soft sound of skin gliding along skin and Soonyoung commented, eyes closed, “I love that sound.”

 

“What sound?”

 

“Skin against skin,” Soonyoung mumbled an explanation, “Like when you slide your palms over each other slowly - that sound. Good shit.”

 

Seokmin laughed at the sleepy tone of Soonyoung’s voice, “Can’t say I’ve ever paid much attention to that sound.”

 

“You’ve been missing out,” Soonyoung sighed in delight as Seokmin dragged his short nails along his back.

 

After a few comfortable beats of silence, Seokmin asked in a gentle yet hesitant voice, “Are you happy? Right now? In this moment?”

 

Soonyoung didn’t reply immediately and first shuffled around slightly to be impossibly closer to Seokmin, “Yeah. I feel...really relaxed…”

 

Seokmin smiled, “I’m glad, but don’t fall asleep on me here please.”

 

“Why not?” Soonyoung whined into the other’s neck, sad that his plan had been foiled.

 

“Because it’ll be almost impossible for me to get up seeing as you’ve got me pretty much pinned down.”

 

Soonyoung hummed at the latter half of the reply, “I could get used to hearing that.”

 

Seokmin shook his head in amusement and then offered, “If you want to sleep we can go back to my place.”

 

While Soonyoung pondered the offer, Seokmin received a text and fished his phone out of his pocket, holding it up above them both. He read the message and then cut Soonyoung off before he could even reply, “On second thought, didn’t you say you wanted to go for a walk?”

 

“Yeah but then I realised it’s too cold,” Soonyoung whined and then addressed the text, “Who was that?”

 

“Just Jeonghan saying he actually didn’t mind our little outing.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in response, too tired to notice the slight delay before Seokmin had replied or the hesitation in his voice, “It wasn’t that bad, to be honest.”

 

“See? I told you it’d be fine.”

 

Soonyoung just hummed again and Seokmin felt his body relax even further as he drifted into a peaceful sleep. Seokmin pocketed his phone after replying and then brought the now free hand up to thread it into Soonyoung’s hair, pleased at the contented sound the latter released, “Sleep if you want to. I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

 

“Thank you,” Soonyoung responded in a barely audible voice.

 

Seokmin didn’t reply to that, but he did sigh when his phone vibrated in his pocket again.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung woke up to the gentle, repeated call of his name and grumbled, “How long has it been?”

 

“20 minutes.”

 

He grumbled some more and sat up with the intention of stretching out his aching back, but instead he whacked his head on the roof of the car and curled back down onto Seokmin with a pained complaint. The latter stifled a laugh and patted Soonyoung on the head he was cradling so protectively, “So, did that wake you up or give you a concussion?”

 

“Shut up,” came the muffled reply into his chest, “This is your fault.”

 

“My fault?”

 

“You’re the one that woke me up,” Soonyoung stated, sitting up more carefully this time.

 

“You told me too,” Seokmin pointed out, also shuffling back into a seated position so he could lean back against the door, head resting on the window with Soonyoung straddling his stretched out legs.

 

Soonyoung, still massaging his injured head, could only groan in annoyance as he knew the coach was fully right and that he couldn’t argue back, “What time is it?”

 

“Almost 3,” Seokmin answered after briefly checking his phone.

 

“God,” Soonyoung exclaimed lowly, reaching for their carrier bag of goods to fetch some water, “This feels like the longest day of my life.”

 

Seokmin smiled in sympathy while Soonyoung downed the liquid, “This  _ is _ the fourth time you’ve woken up today.”

 

“Is it?” Soonyoung stared off into space to count, “Oh yeah, it is. I think that’s a new personal record.”

 

Seokmin offered a half-smile and was about to respond before his phone cut him off. Soonyoung asked who it was again with a playful curiosity that quickly vanished at Seokmin’s expression when he saw the message, “Shit.”

 

“What is it?” Soonyoung enquired in concern.

 

“Work, this time,” Seokmin explained while typing his reply, “I have a meeting at 4 that  _ was  _ cancelled but apparently it’s back on and I have to go.”

 

Soonyoung pouted, “How long will you be there for?”

 

“An hour, maybe? Two?” Seokmin guessed, “Do you want to just wait at my place?”

 

Soonyoung climbed out of the car as Seokmin did, the pair of them now sat back in the front, “Yeah, sure.”

 

“I’m really sorry,” Seokmin said with sincerity while finding his way back to the main streets, “I would just say I can’t make it but it’s important.”

 

“It’s fine, really,” Soonyoung enforced strongly and joked, “I’m not gonna get annoyed with you because you’re doing your job.”

 

“I know,” Seokmin replied, “I’d just rather be with you than at this meeting right now.”

 

Soonyoung smiled, looking at Seokmin’s side profile while he was driving, “I’ll survive without you for an hour.”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin nodded in a sigh, as if trying to reassure himself, “You will.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung lay sprawled across the sofa, bored out of his mind with Woojoo curled up on his stomach. Seokmin had brought them back to his apartment, changed into a suit, and then dashed out of the door before Soonyoung had the time to appreciate the attire.

 

For a while, Soonyoung milled around the apartment clearing up the little messes they’d made throughout the past two day; slotting dishes back into their cupboards and cups back onto their shelves. After that he scooped some more food into a yapping Woojoo’s bowl and then dropped himself onto the sofa, where he’s now been for around twenty minutes.

 

Seokmin had promised he’d be no longer than two hours after taking traffic and the icy roads into consideration. He also made Soonyoung promise to stay awake otherwise the skater wouldn’t be able to sleep well in the coming night. Soonyoung had agreed, yet he couldn’t help but feel drowsy while lying on the plush sofa in the warm apartment, enveloped in a calming silence.

 

He was a split second away from falling into slumber when his mind decided to trick his body into thinking that he was falling from a cliff and he jolted awake, startling Woojoo from his own nap.

 

“Sorry,” Soonyoung pouted at Woojoo, equally as sad as the pup at now being fully conscious.

 

Betrayed, Woojoo hopped off of Soonyoung and trotted out of view. Soonyoung rolled onto his side and picked his phone up to mindlessly scroll through social media. Another half an hour passed easily with Soonyoung being mildly amused at the latest memes and disgusted by a sadly large number of celebrities.

 

Bored of the endless stream of content, Soonyoung slid off of the sofa and padded over to Seokmin’s bedroom where he flopped onto the bed with a huff. He rolled over and caught a glimpse of the signed Dokyeom album that Seokmin had given him, prompting him to sit up and trace a gentle fingertip over the writing for the second time.

 

**_To Soonyoung, I hope you’ll always be happy! Good luck in your competitions ^^_ **

 

The skater sighed, torn between feeling ecstatic at the encouraging words and feeling guilty for barely managing a smile. He held the album loosely in his hands and looked around the room absentmindedly, yet he somehow managed to catalogue the fact that the room was surprisingly barren. For someone as bright as Seokmin, Soonyoung would’ve expected more colours and trinkets jotted across every surface possible, but only neutral tones greeted him along with the occasional sheets of paper and abandoned pens.

 

Soonyoung sighed again and decided he needed a distraction from his thoughts for a bit. He put the album back on the bedside table and shuffled down to lie on his side, armed with his phone and, thankfully, Seokmin’s WiFi password. He managed to pass another half hour by smiling and laughing at some of his favourite videos, being mildly amused by a collection of vines, and of course, monitoring his own performances.

 

Just as he was about to tap on his third vine compilation of the day, the sound of the door opening dragged him from the bedroom and straight into Seokmin’s arms, “I missed you.”

 

Seokmin actually fell back onto the door with the force of the tackle, but he still smiled as the air was knocked out of him, “I missed you too, but it’s not even been two hours.”

 

“I’ve been so bored,” Soonyoung groaned into Seokmin’s shoulder, lifting his head up to look at the other, “I watched vine compilations like I  _ haven’t  _ already seen every vine in existence.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes fondly and the pair separated naturally while he removed his shoes, “And? It passed the time, didn’t it?”

 

Soonyoung made a thoughtful face followed by one of realisation, “Yeah, actually.”

 

Seokmin stood back up straight, about to take his blazer off before Soonyoung’s hand around his wrist stopped him, “What?”

 

“Suit,” Soonyoung said simply, scrutinising the outfit, “Let me appreciate it.”

 

Seokmin shook his head in amusement and made a show of loosening his tie slightly, highly intrigued by Soonyoung’s eyes following his every movement, “Is a suit kink a thing?”

 

Soonyoung looked back into Seokmin’s eyes when his hands dropped to his sides, “It better be.”

 

“What’s so hot about a suit?” Seokmin asked, slipping past Soonyoung and into the comfort of his own apartment to go about his usual return-from-work routine.

 

Soonyoung followed him around, “Everything. They’re just insanely attractive.”

 

“They’re not the comfiest,” Seokmin pointed out, sitting on the sofa after having hung his keys up and stashed his back; legs spread as an attempt at relief from the work attire.

 

Soonyoung stood between his legs feeling grossly underdressed in plaid pyjama pants and a black shirt, “Beauty is pain.”

 

Seokmin hummed, still managing to make Soonyoung feel small despite having his head tilted back against the sofa in a completely submissive manner. The coach smiled mischievously when the perfect reply popped into his mind, “Then you must be in pain all the time.”

 

Soonyoung smiled involuntarily, uncharacteristically bashful, “You can’t just say things like that.”

 

“Well I just did,” Seokmin tilted his head to the side, still looking up at Soonyoung while gently taking his hands and pulling him down, “What are you gonna do about it?”

 

Soonyoung had no qualms about being guided to sit on Seokmin’s lap, hands now playing about the other’s tie and equally as mischievous after recovering from the compliment, “Wouldn’t you like to know, Sir.”

 

Soonyoung watched Seokmin part his lips in wonder at the title before he formulated a response that was more to himself than to the skater, “Yeah, that did something to me.”

 

“You like being called sir?” Soonyoung asked, much to innocently for the nature of the question.

 

“Apparently so.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Soonyoung smiled with mirth, “How was the meeting?”

“As boring as usual,” Seokmin answered quickly, unable to ignore the way the address made him feel, “But I think it was worth it for this.”

 

“Yeah?” Soonyoung leaned in closer and Seokmin saw the usual twinkle in his eyes for the first time that day, “I can make it worth it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Seokmin asked seriously, not caring about breaking the current mood to stare deep into Soonyoung’s eyes for the answer.

 

The skater knew that the other was obviously concerned about what happened last time things were about to get sexual between them and he responded with a small smile, “I’m sure. You said you wanted to help me explore the things I liked again, right?”

 

“I did, and I meant it,” Seokmin assured, “I just didn’t think you’d want to do so this soon.”

 

“Yeah well neither did I until you waltzed in here looking like a sexy CEO,” Soonyoung shrugged, pressing a quick kiss against Seokmin’s lips, “And I trust you, Sir.”

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes fondly at the mischievous wink and then pursed his lips, “I trust you too but can we not do this sir thing today? It’s hot when you say it but I’ve heard the word  _ way _ too many times in the past hour.”

 

Soonyoung huffed in mock hurt, “Who else has been calling you sir?”

 

“Middle-aged businessmen,” Seokmin shuddered, “I’m pretty damn young for a coach, you know.”

 

Soonyoung gave a small laugh, smoothing out a crease in Seokmin’s shirt, “Alright, but you’re keeping the suit on.”

 

“All of it?” Seokmin asked with a raised brow.

 

“I’ll decide later,” Soonyoung declared before finally attaching his lips to Seokmin’s, one hand on the coach’s neck and the other resting on his chest inside the blazer. Seokmin’s hands roamed along Soonyoung’s thighs until his fingers could stretch across Soonyoung’s ass and give it a squeeze, the latter lifting up slightly at the action.

 

Woojoo swiftly interrupted them, jumping on the sofa with belated yapping at the return of his owner. The pair separated with a breathy laugh, only mildly annoyed, and Seokmin stroked the excited dog, “I’ll give him some food.”

 

Soonyoung stroked him too, “I already did.”

 

Seokmin shrugged, “He’ll still eat more. Come on, get up.”

 

Soonyoung spun off of Seokmin and sat on the sofa while the latter stood up and straightened his outfit out, “Wait for me in the bedroom.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Soonyoung purred playfully as he passed Seokmin and earned himself a cheeky slap on the ass, which he responded to with a small yelp and quickened steps. The skater flopped onto the bed in a heap and then shuffled around until he was lying on his side facing the door. From there, Soonyoung had the pleasure of watching Seokmin walk from the kitchen straight to him in all his formal glory, “Have you ever considered being a model?”

 

Seokmin scoffed, “Not at all, but I’d model for you any day.”

 

Soonyoung hummed, rolling onto his back at the edge of the bed to look up at Seokmin who was still stood next to him, “Likewise.”

 

Seokmin ruffled Soonyoung’s hair before walking around to the other side of the bed, climbing on to situate himself against the headboard where Soonyoung quickly sat back on his lap. Seokmin gently held Soonyoung back before the skater could attack him with a kiss, “Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sure,” Soonyoung smiled softly, easing Seokmin’s grip on his shoulder to kiss him, “Since consent turns you on - I  _ want  _ you to fuck me.”

 

Soonyoung watched the other’s eyes dilate as if his brain was trying to focus on the demand, so he decided to amusedly clarify further between kisses, “I  _ desire  _ that you have sex with me. I’d be  _ overjoyed  _ if we could have intercourse. I’d be  _ elated _ if you put your dick in—”

 

“I get it,” Seokmin said quickly, turning his head to the side to avoid the neverending kisses and Soonyoung’s burning gaze, “Okay.”

 

“Okay?” Soonyoung iterated with a raised eyebrow.

 

“If that’s what you  _ want _ and you’re  _ 100% sure. _ ”

 

“I’m sure, okay?” Soonyoung spoke softly. He gently angled Seokmin’s face so that they were again staring at each other, the coach searching his face for any signs of discomfort while Soonyoung mapped out his facial features calmy. He started at the slightly swollen lips, then travelled along to a pointed nose and across to high cheekbones before settling on loving eyes with a newfound conviction, “Make me forget him.”

 

Seokmin nodded dumbly at the request, pulling Soonyoung impossibly closer by the waist and surging forward to kiss him. Soonyoung responded eagerly, years of lacking sexual intimacy presenting itself all at once as he shamelessly moaned at the sensation of Seokmin’s tongue between his lips. He could feel Seokmin smile into the kiss, obviously pleased with himself, so he did a weird thing with his tongue against the roof of Seokmin’s mouth and smiled when he felt the coach’s upper body quiver.

 

They separated, panting for breath after an extremely prolonged kiss, and Seokmin asked, “Can I please remove the blazer now? I’m so hot.”

 

“Damn right you are,” Soonyoung mused, “But yes, go ahead.”

 

At the given permission, Seokmin quickly fumbled to take it off with Soonyoung aiding him. He then proceeded to quickly shove his long sleeves up to his elbows to reveal his forearms, “Thank you.”

 

“No, thank  _ you _ ,” Soonyoung practically moaned at the sight before him; mildly sweaty Seokmin with his golden skin disappearing behind a simple white button-up, contrasting to the black tie and the black slacks.

 

Seokmin huffed through his nose in amusement, one hand attaching itself back to Soonyoung’s hip while the other came up to hold his neck and guide him back into a kiss. Soonyoung, beginning to get slightly impatient, palmed Seokmin through the now tight material of his slacks, relishing in the surprised moan the latter released into his mouth. 

 

Soonyoung’s lips embarked on an adventure, kissing a trail down Seokmin’s jaw to nip his way down his neck. Seokmin hissed a breath in at the slightly painful feeling, but it was mixed with heavy breaths from Soonyoung’s hand still playing about his crotch. Not wanting to be the only one hot under the collar Seokmin reached around to knead Soonyoung’s ass, causing the skater to lift up and be kneeling over Seokmin’s thighs rather than sat on his lap. 

 

Soonyoung dropped his forehead onto Seokmin’s shoulder, feeling strangely bashful and exposed with Seokmin repeatedly separating his ass cheeks and kneading the fleshy area. However, he promptly realised he liked the sensation and went back to sucking at Seokmin’s jugular until the coach flipped them over, causing Soonyoung to yelp in surprise.

 

Seokmin reached over to the drawer of the bedside table and Soonyoung didn’t need to look to know what items he retrieved before leaning back over the skater and kissing him tenderly, “You can still tell me to stop whenever you want to.”

 

When Seokmin began to pull back to presumably sit on his haunches, Soonyoung grabbed him by the tie and pulled him back down to kiss him in a rougher manner to convey his certainty. Message clear, Seokmin peppered featherlight kisses down the column of Soonyoung’s neck until the fabric of his shirt prevented further travel, “This is gonna have to come off.”

 

“Is it now?” Soonyoung enquired playfully, body following Seokmin’s when the latter sat up.

 

“Mhm,” Seokmin hummed, helping the placid skater discard the material before gently pushing him back down onto the bed, “Much better.”

 

Soonyoung was kissed briefly before Seokmin continued his southward journey, starting from Soonyoung’s collarbones until he got to the waistband of the plaid pyjama pants. Soonyoung’s arousal could clearly be seen through the loose fabric and the look Seokmin was giving him from between his legs was not helping at all. Seokmin slipped the waistband below Soonyoung’s hips to nose his way down the skater’s happy trail, pressing a kiss to his navel before commanding, “Hips up.”

 

Soonyoung did as told and at the reveal of only more skin as Seokmin slid the pants off he only just realised, “You’re not wearing underwear.”

 

“Is that a problem?” Soonyoung challenged despite his cheeks being dusted red at now being completely naked in front of fully clothed Seokmin.

 

“Not at all,” Seokmin smiled, noticing Soonyoung’s sudden shyness as he settled back between the skater’s sculpted thighs, “You’re beautiful.”

 

“Shut up,” Soonyoung groaned from up near the pillows, voice getting higher in pitch when Seokmin’s teeth nipped at his inner thigh.

 

“You can’t silence the truth,” Seokmin retorted, kissing over the area he just bit, “You’re beautiful and I will tell you as many times as I have to in order to make you accept it.”

 

Soonyoung just groaned in annoyance and Seokmin decided not to tease him too much for now. The coach continued to kiss and suck at Soonyoung’s inner thighs, Soonyoung squirming while Seokmin held his legs still. After enough torture and with Soonyoung staring down at him with curious eyes, Seokmin encircled his mouth around Soonyoung’s erection and lowered his head down painfully slowly; Soonyoung’s hands fisting in the sheets, “Oh my God.”

 

Seokmin hummed in response and Soonyoung’s entire body twitched, causing the former to have to secure his hips to the bed to keep him still. Soonyoung hadn’t had his dick sucked in a  _ long _ time and he suddenly remembered that Seokmin said he’s never had a blowjob before and has only ever given them; now evident to Soonyoung with the way Seokmin’s mouth was making him feel.

 

Seokmin picked up his pace and Soonyoung could feel the strong grip on each of his thighs when his body tensed in pleasure. After maybe a minute or so, Soonyoung pulled Seokmin up by a hand tangled in his hair, trying (and failing) to ignore the way Seokmin was looking at him and panting for air, “I was close.”

 

“Really?” Seokmin couldn’t help but question in surprise, voice slightly hoarse.

 

Feeling embarrassed, Soonyoung glanced away, “I haven’t...done anything like this for a long time…”

 

Seokmin crawled back over him and took a few seconds to admire the sheen of sweat plastering his hair to his forehead before giving the gentle order, “Look at me.”

 

Soonyoung did as told, slowly bringing his gaze back to lock eyes with Seokmin and be hit with a sense of wonder at how he ended up with someone so beautiful and caring. A soft smile greeted him, “Please don’t feel embarrassed about that. It’s completely understandable and if anything, just reassures me that my dick sucking skills are still top notch.”

 

A quiet laugh bubbled out of Soonyoung, previous embarrassment quickly disappearing the more Seokmin smiled at him and wiggled his eyebrows, yet it quickly morphed into a moan when a thigh pressed his dick even closer to his stomach. Seokmin sat back up and Soonyoung watched with apprehension as he put a generous amount of lube onto his hand. Seokmin gently spread Soonyoung’s legs further apart so that he could lie between them and still be face to face with the skater. 

 

He kissed Soonyoung, who was considerably more tense than he was mere moments ago, and played his fingers gently about Soonyoung’s rim in fleeting touches, “You okay?”

 

Soonyoung nodded quickly, dying for some form of release but also weirdly enjoying dragging it out, “Yeah.”

 

He was kissed once more to be distracted from the feeling of more lube being added generously to his ass, back stuttering into an arch at the cool temperature of the liquid, and then rising further when one of Seokmin’s long fingers pressed into him slowly. The latter did his best to distract Soonyoung from the initial burn by kissing him all over or nipping at his neck.

 

“You need to relax, you’re too tense,” Seokmin prompted gently into Soonyoung’s ear and received a whimper in response, “It’ll hurt if you don’t.”

 

“I know,” Soonyoung responded, face scrunched up, “It doesn’t usually take me this long to get used to it.”

 

“I guess I make you nervous,” Seokmin teased, “When was the last time you had something in your ass other than your own fingers?”

 

Soonyoung thought for a second, “A week ago maybe.”

 

“Oh? Only a week ago? What was it? A vibrator? A plain old dildo?”

 

Soonyoung hadn’t noticed (as intended) but Seokmin had successfully distracted him enough to have one finger buried as deep inside him as it could get while he pondered on the answer to the questions. Soonyoung’s reply was breathy, as his brain might not have clocked onto the fact that Seokmin’s whole finger was in his ass, but his body certainly had,  “A dildo.”

 

“How naughty,” Seokmin chuckled, kissing Soonyoung’s neck one last time before staring him down, “Did you think about me?”

 

“What?” Soonyoung squawked.

 

“While you had that dildo buried in your ass,” Seokmin reiterated, moving his finger in and out slightly and earning himself a vice-like grip on his shirt courtesy of Soonyoung, “did you think about me at all?”

 

While Soonyoung’s mind was short-circuiting, Seokmin had managed to slowly add a second finger, “Did you pretend that I was fucking you? Did you wish that you had a real dick in you instead?”

 

“Yes,” Soonyoung moaned in honesty, finally registering the fact that Seokmin was currently fucking him with his fingers.

 

“God,” Seokmin exclaimed lowly, “That’s hot.”

 

“Seokmin,” Soonyoung moaned in a whine, hands releasing his shirt to hold on to his shoulders, “Oh my God, please just fuck me already.”

 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Seokmin said gently and Soonyoung, though extremely appreciative, rolled his eyes in frustration and brushed some of Seokmin’s sweaty hair back off of his forehead.

 

“You won’t, I trust you, and I need you to trust me too when I say I’m more than ready to have your dick in my ass.”

 

Seokmin laughed at the impatient edge to Soonyoung’s voice but the latter found no amusement in the situation; just plenty of sexual frustration and the repressed urge to strangle the man above him. The coach removed his fingers and Soonyoung shuddered at the feeling, but didn’t miss out on watching Seokmin undo his belt buckle with rapt attention. If Seokmin noticed the beady eyes he didn’t say anything and simply removed his slacks as well as his boxers, leaving the shirt and tie on at Soonyoung’s demand. When Seokmin began to roll a condom on and Soonyoung looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, he responded, “I don’t have any diseases, it’s just less to clean this way?”

 

Soonyoung smiled at the uncertainty in Seokmin’s voice, as if the latter was capable of doing anything wrong, “It’s not a problem. If anything it just means I don’t have to spend an hour trying to clean my ass out.”

 

“Very true,” Seokmin huffed in a laugh, lying back on top of Soonyoung and kissing him, “How are we doing this then?”

 

“Like this is nice,” Soonyoung decided, cupping Seokmin’s face in his sweaty hands.

 

Seokmin hummed in agreement and kissed the other again, Soonyoung’s back arching off of the sheets again when Seokmin began to enter him. Seokmin tried to kiss him but ended up kissing his neck instead as he threw his head back in a mixture of pain and pleasure; shameless moans spilling from his lips when Seokmin began to  _ finally _ thrust in and out of him.

 

“You good?” Seokmin asked, now definitely as breathy and ragged as Soonyoung.

 

“ _ So _ good. Oh my God.”

 

“Am I better than that dildo?”

 

“Do you even need to ask?” Soonyoung tried to question in annoyance but all the bite in his words dissipated into a moan, “ _ Please _ move faster.”

 

Seokmin hummed and continued his painfully slow pace, “Can you be more specific?”

 

“Oh my God,” Soonyoung moaned in frustration, “Please fuck my ass with your dick faster before I slap you.”

 

“Hm,” Seokmin hummed in mock disappointment, “Try again without the last part, princess.”

 

Affronted by the nickname but too aroused to question it, Soonyoung quickly did as told and was finally rewarded for it. Seokmin picked up his pace and left Soonyoung clutching onto his back, uncontrollable noises of pleasure slipping out of him along with various slurred versions of Seokmin’s name and pleas to God.

 

Soonyoung could feel that familiar coil in his stomach and somehow Seokmin seemed to notice the slight change in his eyes, halting his thrusts immediately while buried deep inside Soonyoung and preventing him from going over the edge. Soonyoung scratched at Seokmin’s back through the shirt and heaved out in frustration as Seokmin began the excruciatingly slow pace again, “Oh my God, you’re a fucking asshole.”

 

Seokmin just smirked at him, incredibly pleased with himself, “No,  _ I’m  _ fucking  _ your _ asshole.”

 

The retort was meant to be assertive and dominant, but the duo couldn’t help but laugh at the remark when they made eye contact; Soonyoung rendered unable to maintain his anger at being denied his orgasm. The skater was far too amused by the statement and continued to be until Seokmin picked up the pace again, where his laughter moulded into exhausted moans, “If you do that again, I swear to God.”

 

“No promises,” Seokmin winked, amusement finally subsiding to allow him to thrust into the other without distraction. 

 

It didn’t take long to get them both close to the edge again after that but when Soonyoung reached down to try pump his own neglected dick, Seokmin pinned his arm to the bed by the wrist and Soonyoung felt a weird flip in his stomach at the action, eyes darting to look at Seokmin’s.

 

“No touching,” Seokmin said simply, releasing Soonyoung’s wrist but the latter left his arm there anyway.

 

“ _ Please _ ,” Soonyoung whined, pure desperation dripping from his voice. He felt absolutely exhausted and could feel his back stuck to the sheets with sweat. Similarly, he could see sweat leaking through Seokmin’s white shirt and small beads trailing down the side of his face. 

 

Determined to please, Seokmin put his godly thighs to good use and thrust into Soonyoung as hard as the latter was begging for it. Soonyoung came first, repeating Seokmin’s name throughout his climax and sending the mentioned male over the edge too where he bit down on Soonyoung’s neck to muffle a loud cry which strangely aroused the skater.

 

Seokmin flopped onto Soonyoung, exhausted, sweaty and breathing heavily. Soonyoung was no different, currently seeing black speckles from the force of his orgasm and blinking frantically while trying to even out his breathing, “Wow.”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin breathed, hauling himself up to slip out of Soonyoung while kissing him. He tossed the now useless condom into the bin and then hugged Soonyoung close, “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m more than okay,” Soonyoung assured, still slightly out of it, “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome?” Seokmin questioned, “I’ve never had anyone thank me for sex before.”

 

“First time for everything,  _ princess, _ ” Soonyoung emphasised the pet name, indicating that he wants answers.

 

“I have no explanation for that, it just happened,” Seokmin said with an arm up in surrender, “Suits you, though. Princess or prince.”

 

“Prince,” Soonyoung settled.

 

“My little prince,” Seokmin smiled and Soonyoung strangely liked the term of endearment.

 

“What does that make you to me then?” Soonyoung enquired.

 

“Well, you called me God at  _ least _ a hundred times in the past hour, so—”

 

He was cut off when Soonyoung hit him weakly in the chest, “Shut up. I’m not calling you God, you ass.”

 

“Think about it,” Seokmin offered, kissing the other on the forehead before detaching their sticky bodies and leaving the bed.

 

Soonyoung pouted, “Come back.”

 

Seokmin shook his head, “We need to shower.”

 

“We?”

 

“Yep,” Seokmin held a hand out to Soonyoung, “Come on, Your Majesty.”

 

Soonyoung snorted at the curtsy Seokmin did while presenting him with his hand, but he accepted nonetheless. Soonyoung stiffened in pain once he was stood up and Seokmin was quick to notice, sweeping him up bridal style and carrying the giggling prince to the bathroom. 

 

“So, my prince,” Seokmin began, eyebrow wiggle evident in his voice as he set Soonyoung down in the shower, “Round two?”

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't let the spicy time make you forget about the earlier stuff hehe and whatever happens in the bathroom is completely up to your imagination ;))
> 
> as always, sorry for typos and thank you for reading!! every kudos is appreciated and i'd be absolutely overjoyed with a comment, I love knowing what you think <3 and who knows, since I've posted everything I've written so far, maybe your comment could affect the story ;) 
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆ (big hi to all the seoksoon mutuals I have now, i love y'all but none of you have told me your ao3 usernames sjkfks)
> 
> 5 of u following the playlist now,,,<3
> 
> fun fact: this is the first sex scene I've ever written, so i apologise sjkfks


	6. What If I Go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small edit: i went through and changed every Dino to Chan cuz i felt like it lmao
> 
> finally at the Cup of China! (sort of?) i kno i said all the lads would be together finally in this chapter but it's already 8k bUT the next chapter will defo be up sooner and filled with hotel shenanigans :D (more on that in end notes)
> 
> this chapter is quite jumpy because there are numerous time skips so i hope the pacing is okay ;;
> 
> thank you to everyone who is consistently commenting!! and to everyone who isnt, please consider it? i love hearing what you think and it really keeps me going <3
> 
> What If I Go? - Mura Masa ft Bonnzai ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/6lbFEBQz8jYuwsDY1LYEuD?si=xo3hMJmKR3unR7DDQvuIDw) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLuQ0MGLBXU)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Soonyoung woke up without his face squished into Seokmin’s collarbones as he expected, and could instead feel soft breath fanning across his neck while a rogue forearm was strewn across his side. After the couple had left the bathroom the previous night, they ate a quick meal before fatigue pulled them back to bed; making it the earliest Soonyoung has gone to sleep in a long time.

 

Now conscious, the tickling breath on the back of his neck quickly began to make him squirm away from the coach but he was prevented by the lazy arm holding him back. Soonyoung huffed and was about to wake the other up before a soft kiss was pressed onto his nape and the arm around his waist tightened, “Did you sleep well?”

 

Hearing Seokmin’s hoarse yet gentle morning voice right into his ear made Soonyoung feel a certain type of way, but he wasn’t complaining, “Very well.”

 

“No nightmares?”

 

Soonyoung blinked. He hadn’t even thought about the nightmare he had the day before or the fact that he woke up without having one, “No…”

 

He could hear the smile in Seokmin’s reply, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung trailed off while Seokmin tangled their fingers together in front of him, “It’s just weird.”

 

“Weird but good,” Seokmin commented, pecking Soonyoung’s neck again before saying through a laugh, “Like your suit kink.”

 

“Hey,” Soonyong began defensively, head turned to look at Seokmin over his shoulder, “Suits are hot and you absolutely cannot convince me otherwise.”

 

“I fully acknowledge that they are, but that doesn’t mean I want to get fucked by someone wearing one,” Seokmin smiled teasingly.

 

“You’re missing out, is all I can say to that,” Soonyoung shrugged, turning around in the coach’s hold to face him with a pout, “I don’t wanna leave.”

 

“You have to,” Seokmin responded in the same whiny tone Soonyoung had just used, pout and all, “You need to train for the competition.”

 

“I’ve been training for ages,” Soonyoung complained in a moan, “I just want to stay with you.”

 

Seokmin smiled, “And I want to stay with you too but I’m scared about what Jeonghan will do to me if I dare ask for another off day.”

 

“That’s up to you though, isn’t it?” Soonyoung asked in confusion, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

 

“Technically,” Seokmin nodded, “But he knows how to get what he wants.”

 

“You’re not joking,” Soonyoung quipped, reminded of the sabotage of his skates once again.

 

Seokmin pursed his lips as if he was going to enquire into Soonyoung’s side comment, but he decided against it, “Do you want me to take you to the rink?”

 

Soonyoung whined in displeasure, snuggling closer to the coach, “I don’t want to go.”

 

“You have to,” Seokmin sing-songed, careful to not use his usual singing voice, “Don’t you have to be there at 9?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung mumbled into the pillows.

 

“It’s twenty past eight.”

 

“Shit.”

 

Seokmin laughed before hauling himself into a seated posture, trying and failing to drag Soonyoung up with him, “Come on, you need to get up.”

 

“Don’t wanna,” Soonyoung whined, rolling over to hide his face in the pillows, body now stomach down.

 

“Come on,” Seokmin urged, jabbing Soonyoung in the back relentlessly before Soonyoung reached behind himself to grab Seokmin’s hands.

 

“Stop,” he drawled, “My back aches.”

 

“Aw, sorry,” Seokmin quickly apologised. Once Soonyoung’s grip on his hands softened he decided to begin massaging the skater’s lower back instead, only to have Soonyoung pull his hands away again with a whine.

 

His complain was muffled into the pillow, “Hurts.”

 

“I know it does,” Seokmin explained softly, taking both of Soonyoung’s small hands into one of his to keep them held behind the skater’s back while he massaged the area with the other hand, free of interruption, “But it’ll hurt more if you don’t let me do this.”

 

Soonyoung squirmed and made muffled noises of pain but otherwise didn’t resist the treatment. Seokmin’s fingers kneading into his back felt pleasant after working the initial ache out and the coach eventually trusted him enough to release his hands; Soonyoung letting them flop to the sides.

 

“Shouldn’t we get up?” Soonyoung asked after turning his head to the side to look back at Seokmin who seemed content to remain there for the whole day, if not longer.

 

Seokmin shook his head, “I remembered that Wonwoo text me to say he was coming to get you at 9, so we’ll get up in a bit and eat something.”

 

Soonyoung listened to Seokmin with a mildly pained expression as the hands on his back dug into the tight skin around his shoulder blades, “Why did he text you and not me?”

 

“Probably didn’t think you’d be awake yet, and he was right.”

 

Soonyoung whined when Seokmin pressed onto a particular area and didn’t reply to Seokmin’s response in favour of rolling away to sit up, “Stop.”

 

Seokmin mimicked the drawl with a fond expression, “Why?”

 

“I’ll stretch it out instead,” Soonyoung decided, “It hurts too much.”

 

Seokmin pouted, “If your back is that stiff, you should’ve told me last night before we went to sleep.”

 

“I was too tired to notice,” Soonyoung supplied, getting out of bed to find his shirt in the pile of clothes on the floor. Seokmin flopped back down on the bed to watch him with a sweet expression. Soonyoung slipped the shirt on and stood back up, looking down at the other inquisitively, “What?”

 

“Nothing,” Seokmin smiled, “It’s just been nice having you here rather than video-calling and messaging all the time.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t have a choice but to smile in response to the pleasant statement, “It’s been nice being here. I still can’t believe we only met a month ago, I feel like I’ve known you for years.”

 

Seokmin smiled wider and sat up, shuffling over to be sat in front of Soonyoung who was still stood next to the bed, “I’m glad you feel that way. Remember you can talk to me about anything and please,  _ please  _ call me if you have another nightmare, okay?”

 

Soonyoung nodded, combing a hand gently through Seokmin’s bed-head before cupping his face, “I will.... _ if _ you make me some sausages right now because I am  _ starving _ .”

 

“Alright,” Seokmin huffed a laugh, standing up and leading the way to the kitchen, “You’re just lucky that I have some in.”

 

Sitting back on his usual spot of the counter, Soonyoung hummed in response while Seokmin defrosted the sausages. The coach came to stand between Soonyoung’s legs, hands resting on the tops of his thighs while the pair shared a brief kiss, “Is your stuff ready to go?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, looping his arms around Seokmin’s neck, “More or less, yeah.”

 

“I think you should go pack it up so you don’t keep Wonwoo waiting,” Seokmin suggested, skillfully avoiding the kisses Soonyoung was trying to give him to get him to stop talking.

 

“It’s all packed apart from the stuff on your bedside table,” Soonyoung pouted, giving up on his kiss quest.

 

“Then get changed,” Seokmin prompted, kissing the pout away with a quick peck, “By the time you’re back the sausages will be ready.”

 

“Fine,” Soonyoung sighed, slightly less pouty since he got a kiss, but still pouty nonetheless. Seokmin walked away from him to begin cooking the now defrosted meat and Soonyoung slipped off of the counter, trotting back to the bedroom to rummage in his bag for his training clothes.

 

He opted for black tracksuit pants with white stripes down each leg and a simple black t-shirt. Now in the rather comfortable outfit, Soonyoung collected his things off of the bedside table and shoved them into his bag, namely his phone, charger, hair brush, and the signed Dokyeom album (which he placed gently into the bag with much care.)

 

He used his hands to fix his hair in the mirror and headed to the bathroom to collect his toiletries before also shoving them into his bag and zipping it up; taking it to the living room with him. Seokmin was still poking at the sausages in the frying pan so Soonyoung decided to flop onto the sofa, ready to fall back asleep before Seokmin shouted at him, “You said you were going to stretch.”

 

Soonyoung groaned at the memory but rolled off of the sofa anyway and into a forward lunge. He stretched both legs in the same fashion while pulling each arm tight across his chest. A dull ache filled the majority of his muscles as a silent complaint at him having neglected them for the past few days and he felt a few of his bones crack in protest.

 

Not one for giving up, Soonyoung continued to diligently stretch out his muscles as he would do every time before stepping onto the rink; a routine Wonwoo had drilled into him from the start. He started from his core and worked his way out, beginning from this thighs and abdomen and ending at the hands and feet. By the end of the process, Soonyoung always felt like he’d stretched himself a few inches taller, but that effect quickly wore off whenever anyone stood next to him afterwards.

 

“It’s ready,” Seokmin announced upon entering the room, placing the plate of sausages onto the table with an array of condiments.

 

Soonyoung straightened up from his position touching his toes and headed past Seokmin and into the kitchen, retrieving what was left of the baguette the coach had bought for him. The pair sat opposite each other at the table, Seokmin eating only sausages while judging Soonyoung, “Sausages and a baguette?”

 

“You don’t have the right to judge me,” Soonyoung shrugged indifferently before a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes, “ _ Unless _ , you tell me what’s in that room over there.”

 

He used his knife to point to a door further down the corridor than Seokmin’s bedroom, locked with a key and never once opened (at least in front of Soonyoung.) The locked room had gained his interest yesterday when he wandered around the apartment while Seokmin was at the meeting. 

 

Seokmin craned his neck around to look where Soonyoung pointed and gave a nervous smile, “I just won’t judge your eating habits then.”

 

“Aha!” Soonyoung exclaimed, “I knew there was something unusual in there!”

 

“It’s not...unusual, really,” Seokmin spoke quietly, determined to stare at his plate to avoid looking into Soonyoung’s eyes.

 

“What’s in there?” Soonyoung said excitedly at first, but then noticed that his curiosity had made Seokmin uncomfortable. The coach had stopped eating and was just looking down, slightly gnawing on his lip as if having an inner struggle. Soonyoung awkwardly added on the end, “If you want to show me...that is.”

 

Seokmin looked up then, seemingly relieved that Soonyoung wasn’t intent on discovering the contents of the room, “I do want to show you, now’s just not a good time.”

 

“Okay,” Soonyoung nodded, now the one looking down due to feeling like he’d overstepped his boundaries, “I’m sorry for asking.”

 

Seokmin gave a small smile, “It’s fine. It’s nothing sad or serious, I just...don’t want to show you yet. It’s special to me.”

 

Soonyoung lifted his gaze at that, now more understanding as to why Seokmin was uncomfortable with him prying, “Alright, then I can’t wait for you to show it to me.”

 

The couple smiled at each other softly before a buzz at the door dragged Seokmin to it’s call. Soonyoung remained at the table, scoffing his sausages and a monstrous amount of bread when Seokmin returned, “Wonwoo’s here. He’s gonna wait for you downstairs.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in a whiny complaint while eating the last of his quick breakfast and hastily standing up, “I don’t want to go.”

 

“You’ve gotta,” Seokmin whined back, picking Soonyoung’s bag up from the sofa and handing it to the skater who was now begrudgingly putting his shoes on at the door.

 

“When can we meet next?” Soonyoung asked, leaning against the door with his bag and skates slung over his shoulders. Seokmin stood in front of him, still wearing loose pajamas with his fluffy hair only mildly tamed from Soonyoung combing through it earlier with his hands, “Also, are you not going anywhere today? What about Jeonghan?”

 

“I gave him another day off,” Seokmin yawned, “Since Joshua got here last night, I thought I’d let them spend some time together. And for your other question, probably at the Cup of China?”

 

“But that’s a month away,” Soonyoung pouted, and then remembered that the last interval between their meetings was also a month, “ _ Again _ .”

 

“It’s better than nothing,” Seokmin soothed, “We’re lucky compared to Vernon and Seungkwan, they meet like three times a year.”

 

Soonyoung groaned, “I still can’t believe no one told me they were together.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “I still can’t believe that you didn’t know.”

 

The intercom buzzed again and the pair looked at it to see an impatient Wonwoo staring at the camera. Soonyoung rolled his eyes fondly and looked back to Seokmin, “I better go.”

 

Seokmin didn’t respond in favour of kissing Soonyoung goodbye. The action was filled with a wistful longing but an overall sense of happiness even when they separated to simply stare at each other, Soonyoung’s hands slowly slipping from their perch on Seokmin’s shoulders, “I need to go.”

 

“Go then,” Seokmin urged gently, “Text me when you’re done with training.”

 

“I will,” Soonyoung promised, finally opening the door and stepping outside after giving Seokmin one last peck, “Goodbye.”

 

“Stay safe,” Seokmin called softly as Soonyoung began walking down the hallway to the elevator.

 

“You too,” Soonyoung called back, disappearing around the corner with a final wave; Seokmin watching him until he was out of sight.

 

━ᕕ━

 

“Right,” Wonwoo began, stood outside of the rink with Seungkwan while Soonyoung and Chan begrudgingly loitered near the edge, “There’s a little over a month left until Beijing and now that you’ve both had some time off, it’s time to buckle down and work hard. You’re both going on a diet plan because Soonyoung, you stress eat, and Chan, you don’t eat enough.”

 

Before the pair could complain, Wonwoo continued, “I will give you your food every day; lunch, dinner and the next day’s breakfast. It’ll be a lot of food so you probably won’t need snacks, but if you do just keep them at least  _ moderately _ healthy. You’ll be alternating with each other between training on the ice, doing yoga as a cool down and monitoring yourselves.”

 

Soonyoung raised his hand and waited till Wonwoo addressed him, “Will Mingyu be the one making our food?”

 

“Yeah,” Wonwoo nodded, “He’s doing the same for Jihoon and said it’s easier to cook a lot of food rather than just one portion.”

 

“You should’ve led with that,” Chan remarked, happy at the thought of eating well for once.

 

“Yeah, I know,” Wonwoo realised, “Anyway, Chan’s on the ice first because I need to talk to you, Soonyoung.”

 

The older skater groaned in mild annoyance while Chan cheered and took off around the rink in a fast paced warm up. Soonyoung stepped off of the ice and sat on the bench with Wonwoo, “What do you want to talk about?”

 

“Well, you didn’t talk much in the car—”

 

“Because I fell asleep.”

 

“—But I just wanted to know what happened while you were with Seokmin.”

 

“Not much,” Soonyoung shrugged, “I told you about the nightmare, and then after that we went out with Jeonghan and Seungcheol like you wanted us to, and then we made out at the Han river and  _ then _ Seokmin went to a meeting  _ but then _ we had sex.”

 

“You  _ what?” _ Wonwoo squawked, “You haven’t had sex for  _ years!” _

 

“I know, and I forgot how nice it feels.”

 

“ _ Soonyoung _ .”

 

“What?”

 

Wonwoo sighed, worried for his best friend, “He didn’t force it on you, did he?”

 

Soonyoung felt personally offended, “Of course not! He literally gets on of consent.”

 

“Too much information,” Wonwoo stressed quickly and Soonyoung rolled his eyes.

 

“Point is, he asked me so many times during the whole thing if I was okay with what was going on and I said yes, of course,” Soonyoung chimed, “But the weirdest thing is that I didn’t have a nightmare last night.”

 

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows in surprise, “You didn’t? I mean, that’s really great and I’m  _ glad _ that you didn’t, but really?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “If I did then I don’t remember it and I didn’t wake up.”

 

“Huh,” Wonwoo crossed his arms over his chest, “Weird, but good.”

 

“That’s exactly what Seokmin said,” Soonyoung observed, feeling slightly weirded out.

 

“Great minds think alike,” Wonwoo winked, “But seriously, I’m glad that you’re happy with him because you deserve to be.”

 

“Thanks,” Soonyoung smiled.

 

“You don’t need to thank me for the truth,” Wonwoo chided, standing up to head closer to the rink wall, “I need to coach Chan, so you can either watch your past performances or stretch.”

 

“Or I could watch my past performances  _ while _ I stretch,” Soonyoung suggested with a proud smile.

 

“Even better,” Wonwoo praised before calling Chan over to him to give him guidance.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung returned home that night and flopped onto his sofa, face first and fully not caring that it was actually quite hard to breathe into the plush fabric. After the first day only, Soonyoung could tell that Wonwoo intended to push them to their limit every single day and he both loved and hated the coach for it. On one hand, it meant that he cared about his pair of skaters and wanted them to do well, but on the other hand it meant that both of them go home and lack the energy to do anything but sleep.

 

Rolling over to breathe, Soonyoung pulled his phone out of his bag which had been haphazardly abandoned on the floor and messaged Seokmin. While waiting for a reply, Soonyoung dragged himself off of the sofa and straight into his bed; already changed after having a shower at the rink. He unlocked his phone again and was shocked to see that it was only just 8pm, expecting it to be much later considering how tired he is.

 

He decided to skim read through the text Wonwoo had sent him again as it contained the most pertinent information for this Grand Prix. Most rules and regulations remain the same, but something usually differs each year depending on the host country. However, this time things seemed to be not too different from last time as Soonyoung read over the message for the second time.

 

After qualifying to compete or being invited, each skater would take part in one of six competitions and only the top six skaters from each competition go on to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Soonyoung, unfortunately, has a lot of friendly competition at the Cup of China; Chan, Jihoon, Jeonghan, Minghao and Joshua.

 

He locked his phone and leaned over to grab the end of his charger, used muscles screaming in a sick mixture of protest and relief as he plugged the device in to charge. Soonyoung flopped over to sleep, tired to the point where he forgot he was waiting for Seokmin to reply until a telltale ping alerted him.

 

**kwon_ice** : im too tired to talk :( but goodnight! I hope you sleep well <3

 

**smile_idk** : aw goodnight to you too :) sleep well, my little princess ;) <3

 

**kwon_ice** : p r i n c e

 

**smile_idk** : i could definitely see you in a dress and tiara tho

 

**kwon_ice** : a prince can wear a dress and tiara too yanno

 

**smile_idk** : touché

**smile_idk** : seriously tho, call me if you need to <3

 

Soonyoung scrunched his face in tired confusion for a few seconds until his last few active brain cells made an inference; he should call Seokmin if he has another nightmare.

 

**kwon_ice** : i will <3

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung didn’t have a nightmare that night, or the night after, or the night after, and his intense training schedule continued on with him returning home exhausted each day. However, on the fourth day, after dropping into bed and bidding Seokmin a good night, Soonyoung had another nightmare.

 

Usually his nightmares are either resurfaced memories or very realistic situations, but this was the most abstract nightmare he’s had to date. 

 

He couldn’t figure out where he was. The background was all speckled, dark colours, like you’d see when you close your eyes to go to sleep. In front of him and in sharp focus, dressed in bright colours, was Seokmin, smiling. For the first time ever that smile made him incredibly uneasy and he began to back away from the Seokmin whose corners of his mouth looked as though they were rising up to connect to the outer corners of his eyes.

 

Smiling wider than humanly possible, Seokmin took slow steps towards him as he backed away, eyes seeming to turn more into that of a crocodile. Soonyoung became frozen with a sudden wave of anxiety and screamed when Seokmin lunged at him, squeezing his eyes shut in fear. 

 

Nothing happened to him.

 

Soonyoung cautiously opened his eyes and found actual Seokmin before him, crying and looking just as scared as the skater, “He’s here.”

 

“What?” Soonyoung croaked.

 

“He’s been here the whole time,” Seokmin responded, trembling lips morphing back into that sinister smile until his whole face distorted to reveal none other than Soonyoung’s ex. 

 

Soonyoung passed out in the nightmare and shot into a seated position in his bed, painfully awake and gasping for air. He put a hand on his chest and took deep breaths, eyes closed tightly and other hand fisted in the duvet. He didn’t feel as scared as usual which was likely due to the added confusion at how unrealistic the situation was.

 

He flopped down to lie on his back again, breathing deeply and staring at the ceiling. After what felt like several minutes, he picked up his phone and scrolled to find Seokmin’s contact; accidentally checking the time, 04:41. Soonyoung hesitated with his finger over the call button for no more than a second before sighing and tapping it, waiting patiently while only the dial tone greeted him.

 

“Soonyoung?” Seokmin’s hoarse, sleepy voice greeted him, “Are you okay?”

 

“I had a nightmare,” Soonyoung sighed, “But it wasn’t like my usual ones.”

 

He could hear some shuffling from the other end of the line and Seokmin clearing his throat, “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“You were in it,” Soonyoung revealed.

 

“Me? Did I hurt you?”

 

“No,” Soonyoung smiled softly, “But it wasn’t actually you, it was dream you.”

 

“I’d still feel apologetic if dream me hurt you,” Seokmin’s pout was evident in his voice.

 

“You’re too pure for this world.”

 

“Thank you, thank you,” Seokmin managed a small laugh, “Continue. What happened?”

 

Soonyoung told the whole thing to Seokmin in a summarised fashion, “So, it wasn’t really you at first anyway because the smile and eyes weren’t yours but it was still disturbing.”

 

“Sounds like it,” Seokmin sympathised, “Are you alright? You don’t sound as...affected...as last time? God, that sounds insensitive. I’m sorry.”

 

“No, I know what you mean. I think I’m more confused than scared this time because it wasn’t real and it didn’t make sense but I can’t get the image of you with that smile out of my head and it’s really horrible.”

 

“Gimme a sec,” Seokmin announced, disappearing momentarily before Soonyoung’s phone buzzed against his ear and he came back, “Look at that.”

 

Soonyoung did as told with curiosity, finding that Seokmin had sent him an image. He opened the image and was greeted with a beautiful picture, made grainy in the low-light, of Seokmin giving him a very soft smile. The coach’s head was nestled into a puffy pillow, the neckline of his shirt was askew and his hair was a mess, but Soonyoung couldn’t find another word that would fit the image better than endearing. 

 

Unlike he had thought, the nightmare hadn’t rendered him scared of Seokmin’s smile and thankfully seeing the real thing again only proved how ridiculous the nightmare was. Soonyoung put the phone back to his ear, “Thank you.”

 

“That’s all you have to say?” Seokmin teased.

 

Soonyoung smiled at the tone of his voice involuntarily, “You’re cute.”

 

“There it is,” Seokmin revelled in the praise, pleased with himself, “Thank you. But wait, I have something else to cheer you up.”

 

“Oh? What is it?” Soonyoung questioned, rolling onto his side to put the phone down next to his head so he could curl up and listen. 

 

“You’ll see,” Seokmin drawled happily, elongating the vowels, “Well, you’ll hear, but you know what I mean.”

 

Soonyoung huffed in amusement and waited in the comfortable silence for a few seconds. The soft sound of keys jangling suspiciously came from the phone, “What  _ are _ you doing?”

 

“Nothing,” Seokmin chimed as a door shut, “Just listen.”

 

Soonyoung did as told with an anticipatory eye roll which quickly turned into a wide eyed expression when the first few notes of Missed Connections by Dokyeom started playing down the line.

 

He curled up more and closed his eyes to simply listen as instructed by Seokmin. Something sounded different about the vocals to Soonyoung, an avid fan who listens to the song at least three times a day, and if he didn’t know any better he would think that this was a live recording; Dokyeom has never sang live.

 

_ Maybe it’s because it’s being played down the phone _ , Soonyoung pondered and agreed with himself. 

 

The tired skater could’ve fallen asleep listening to the calming voice of his favourite singer, but the music came to a steady fade after the first chorus and Seokmin’s equally calming voice came down the line again a few seconds later, “Did that help?”

 

“Very much,” Soonyoung yawned honestly, mere minutes away from drifting to a much nicer dreamland. His voice took on a deeper, more tired and lazy tone, “I could’ve fallen asleep if you didn’t stop it.”

 

“Oh. Then I’ll continue,” Seokmin smiled before adding hastily, “ _ it _ . I’ll continue  _ it _ .  _ Playing  _ it.”

 

Soonyoung just hummed sleepily, not understanding why Seokmin was repeating himself. He didn’t bother to ask the coach and instead just waited for the song to resume so that he could continue his journey into unconsciousness.

 

Sleeping Soonyoung had the privilege of listening to one of Dokyeom’s unreleased songs, yet he remained blissfully unaware of the fact in his slumber; never to know that the song was written about him.

 

━ᕕ━

 

“Soonyoung I swear to God if you don’t find your damn passport—”

 

“Here!” Soonyoung yelled, upper body hidden from sight while he rummaged around in a cupboard, wiggling his ass to shuffle out and brandish the item to Wonwoo, “I found it.”

 

His coach snatched it out of his hands and shoved it into his own rucksack for safekeeping, “I can’t believe you waited until the day of the flight to tell me you couldn’t find your passport.”

 

“I knew it was in here  _ somewhere _ ,” Soonyoung gestured defensively at the cupboard while shoving stuff back into it that he had tossed out, “I put it in here after we booked the tickets.”

 

“ _ Why _ ?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, standing back up and dusting himself off after ramming the cupboard door closed, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

 

Wonwoo just shook his head in disbelief and put his rucksack back over both shoulders, “Please tell me you’re actually packed and ready.”

 

“Of course,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes, confidently walking to his bedroom to wheel his case out to where Wonwoo waited impatiently in the living room, “See?”

 

“Hand luggage?”

 

Soonyoung slowly backtracked into his bedroom, ignoring Wonwoo’s judgeful stare which thankfully eased off when he reappeared with the smaller bag and presented it to his coach, “All set?”

 

“Yes,” Wonwoo insisted, extending the handle to drag Soonyoung’s case out of the apartment himself, “Now let’s go before you tell me you didn’t even pack a toothbrush.”

 

The skater followed him with a playful attitude, “Well, now that you mention it—”

 

“ _ Soonyoung.” _

 

“Joking, joking,” Soonyoung laughed at the stressed other, now outside the apartment and securely locking the door, “You need to calm down, the flight still four hours away.”

 

“We need to get to the damn airport through peak morning traffic,” Wonwoo deadpanned, speedily leading the way to the elevator, “And as if that isn’t stressful enough, we have to keep Chan and Jihoon from killing each other in the back.”

 

“You’re not gonna make me sit between them again, are you?”

 

“You bet we are,” Wonwoo smiled evilly, pressing the ground floor button, “That’s what you get for making us all wait  _ for half an hour. _ ”

 

“It’s not my fault that my alarm didn’t wake me up!”

 

“Well it  _ is _ your fault if Chan and Jihoon are strangling each other by the time we get to the car.”

 

“Good riddance,” Soonyoung joked with a shrug and earned a harsh yet playful shove out of the elevator, casting a glare back at Wonwoo before the other threw an arm around his shoulders in a half-hearted apologetic gesture.

 

“I hope your case will fit in the boot.”

 

“It should,” Soonyoung assured, leading them out of the building and towards Mingyu’s car where there was indeed a suspicious amount of movement in the back, “Yeah, they’re trying to kill each other.”

 

Wonwoo groaned and left Soonyoung behind the car to load his own luggage while he opened the back door to swat at the other skaters, “Okay, Soonyoung is here so  _ please _ stop trying to kill each other and kill his lazy ass instead.”

 

“Hey!” Soonyoung exclaimed, slamming the boot shut with all the cases securely inside, “I told you it’s not my fault.”

 

“Whatever you say,” Wonwoo dismissed him, stepping away from the back seats to climb into the passenger seat instead.

 

Soonyoung grumbled under his breath but didn’t retort while he attempted to shuffle into the middle over a dishevelled Jihoon who refused to move. Eventually, Soonyoung gave up trying to be cautious and just squashed the other in his quest to perch comfortably in the middle seat, causing Jihoon to mercilessly shove him into Chan who in turn shoved him straight back.

 

This was going to be a long journey and Soonyoung was certain of it.

 

━ᕕ━

 

“Are we there yet?”

 

“If you ask me that  _ one more time _ the only place you’ll be is six feet under,” Wonwoo snapped at Chan, causing the younger to look to Soonyoung in confusion at their coach’s unusually violent threat.

 

“He’s just stressed because we’re stuck in traffic and the flight leaves in two hours,” Soonyoung explained gently, patting the mildly terrified Chan on the thigh.

 

Mingyu reached out to wrap his large hand around Wonwoo’s thin fingers in a casual reassurance, “We’re nearly there, it’s just these lights.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, turning his hand over so that their fingers could clasp together loosely on his lap, “I know, it’s just that if we miss this flight it’ll be really hard to get more tickets on such short notice.”

 

“Probably impossible,” Chan supplied unhelpfully and earned a pinch to the thigh where Soonyoung’s hand still rested, prompting him to squawk in shock and correct himself, “Maybe. You could probably get some. I dunno?”

 

“It’ll be fine,” Soonyoung soothed the coach, trying to lean forward to speak to the other but he was restricted by Jihoon’s legs, the latter having lay them across his lap almost as soon as they set off, “We just have to check our bags in, go through security, find the right gate, get in line and then get on the plane.”

 

Wonwoo made a distressed noise and Mingyu set about trying to ease his nerves as Soonyoung received a message, pulling his phone out from his pocket and leaning onto Jihoon’s legs; the other skater surprisingly didn’t complain.

 

**smile_idk** : which flight are you getting?

 

**kwon_ice** : 9:40   
**kwon_ice** : you?

 

**smile_idk** : SAME

**smile_idk** : WHICH SEAT???

 

Soonyoung smiled at his phone with a newfound excitement for the plane ride to Beijing and pestered Wonwoo, “Where are the tickets?”

 

“In my bag,” Wonwoo replied, not looking back at the skater while the car rolled forwards slowly, “Why?”

 

“Pass me them,” Soonyoung urged and Wonwoo actually turned to look at him just to give him a look of suspicious disdain to which the skater rolled his eyes, “I won’t lose them in two minutes.”

 

Wonwoo scrutinised him for a few seconds before giving in and rummaging for the tickets, “31A and B are mine and Mingyu’s, you three can fight for the rest.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t reply in favor of taking a quick picture of the remaining three tickets and sending it to Seokmin along with a side-eye emoji. Almost instantly, he got a reply from his boyfriend.

 

**smile_idk** : aw so close :(( me, jeonghan and seungcheol are on row 29

 

**kwon_ice** : :((

 

A wicked idea flashed across his mind.

 

**kwon_ice** : you could swap seats with Chan

**kwon_ice** : I’m sure he’d love to sit with his adoptive parents :))

 

Just because Soonyoung didn’t get along with Jeonghan, didn’t mean he ever stopped Chan from idolising the older skater - partly because he didn’t have to. After meeting Jeonghan numerous times, Chan has also come to find Jeonghan rather annoying but the poor boy is too polite to put his foot down, and so he remains in a constant state of passive aggressive formality. Sometimes Soonyoung wonders if Jeonghan is only trying to be close to Chan to spite him, but then he remembers that despite how annoyed Chan gets, he does seem to (at least mildly) enjoy hanging out with Jeonghan; he won’t step in for now.

 

**smile_idk** : i don't trust that smiley face

**smile_idk** : have you asked him?

 

**kwon_ice** : no, but I’m sure he won’t mind :))))

 

**smile_idk** : mmhmmmmm

 

**kwon_ice** : stop doubting me :((

 

**smile_idk** : i’m not doubting you :((

**smile_idk** : i’m absolutely positive that chan  _ will _ mind so that’s why you’re not asking him :))

 

**kwon_ice** : you know me so well :((

 

**smile_idk** : because i love you :((

**smile_idk** : WAIT NO I DIDN'T SAY THAT

**smile_idk** : SKDJSK

**smile_idk** : I HAVEN'T SAID IT YET 

**smile_idk** : YOU SAW NOTHING!!!

 

**kwon_ice** : what am i meant to have seen? I don’t know what you’re talking about

 

**smile_idk** : ugh i l*ve you <3

 

**kwon_ice** : i l*ve you too <3

 

Soonyoung was most definitely smiling at his phone like a madman but thankfully the two skaters next to him were too preoccupied with staring out of their respective windows to notice his inner squealing. He hadn’t thought about it until now, but him and Seokmin haven’t yet said their I love yous to each other once throughout their two month relationship; Seokmin clearly wanted it to be more special than spontaneously over text.

 

Being the one currently possessing the tickets for the trio of skaters in the back, Soonyoung gave Jihoon 31C, himself 31D and Chan 31E. Jihoon checked his seat number and shrugged, actually quite happy to sit next to Wonwoo, while Chan scrutinised Soonyoung’s overly smiley expression, “Why have you given me this one?”

 

“You know that you’re my favourite younger friend?” Soonyoung purred, snuggling up to Chan like a cat waiting to be fed, “And that I love you?”

 

Chan stopped his grovelling before it could even properly commence, “What do you want?”

 

Soonyoung cut to the chase with the blunt teen, “Will you switch places with Seokmin on the plane?”

 

Chan became instantly afeared, “And sit next to Jeonghan?”

 

“It’s only a two hour flight,” Soonyoung tried to convince him, “Please?”

 

Chan pondered for a moment, trying to find something to make these future two hours of hell more worthwhile, “I will switch places with him  _ if _ you promise to teach me how to do a triple axel.”

 

“Promise,” Soonyoung assured instantly, linking his pinky with Chan’s. He could hardly say no to the determined flare in the other’s eyes even if a chance to sit with his boyfriend wasn’t on the line; the triple axel is the only move that Chan just can’t do no matter how hard he tries, and Soonyoung hates to see the younger skater get depressed over it.

 

“Yes!” Chan cheered happily, dragging the word out for far too long.

 

“We’re on the same flight as Seokmin?” Wonwoo asked rhetorically now that their conversation was over, “Why didn’t you tell us until now?”

 

“I didn’t know until now either. I knew they were flying today too, but not that we were on the same flight.”

 

“And you never thought to ask?” 

 

Soonyoung blinked, “Guess not.”

 

“Guess  _ what _ ,” Mingyu interjected, pulling up outside the airport and beaming at Wonwoo, “We’re here with an hour and a half to spare.”

 

Soonyoung could see that Wonwoo was about to have a rant detailing why that wasn’t anywhere near enough time, but he watched the tension ease from his coach’s face as he realised that Mingyu was just trying to lift his spirits.

 

“Thank you,” Wonwoo breathed, some tension leaking out of his body, “You go park the car and I’ll check your bag in for you.”

 

“Okay,” Mingyu smiled, the couple sharing a brief kiss before Wonwoo exited the car and indicated for the three cramped skaters to do the same.

 

Soonyoung shuffled out after Chan and leaned into a casual lunge while waiting for Wonwoo to unload their cases, and then bent down to touch his toes, successfully stretching out his aching legs. The quartet made their way into the airport, the telltale sound of wheels scuffing against concrete following them all the way to the door where the rough sound then morphed into a smooth roll.

 

“How are things with Seokmin?” Wonwoo asked Soonyoung as they led the pack, Chan and Jihoon constantly knocking each other with their suitcases while trailing behind the pair.

 

“Great,” Soonyoung smiled at the mention of the other and then pointedly addressed Wonwoo, “ _ He _ didn’t tell me I look like an old man, unlike  _ someone _ I know.”

 

Wonwoo ruffled a hand through Soonyoung’s newly dyed silver hair, “You know I was joking. It suits you.”

 

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Soonyoung joked in mock awe and Wonwoo shoved him playfully.

 

“Don’t get used to it,” Wonwoo chided, their conversation dissolving into playful jabs at each other until they got to the luggage check in. 

 

━ᕕ━

 

“Can you switch seats yet?”

 

Soonyoung had been pestering Chan for the last five minutes ever since the seatbelt lights went off, confirming that they were safely gliding through the air. He was buzzing with an dozy excitement at the chance to see Seokmin again and Chan finally gave in to save himself having to listen to more of Soonyoung’s cute fawning, “Yes if that’ll shut you up.”

 

Soonyoung knew there was no malice behind Chan’s words and he smiled widely, turning his legs into the aisle so that the younger skater could slide out of his seat, “Thank you!”

 

“Triple axel,” Chan reminded sternly while slipping past Seokmin who had eagerly left his seat as soon as he saw Chan stand up.

 

“I know, don’t worry,” Soonyoung responded far too cheerily for someone sending his friend to sit with the enemy, but he couldn’t help himself considering that Seokmin was awkwardly making his way over with the brightest of smiles.

 

“Hi,” the coach greeted brightly, stepping past Soonyoung to take Chan’s place and then kiss the skater on the cheek when he swivelled his legs back into place, “How are you feeling?”

 

“Still nervous,” Soonyoung admitted with a big exhale as if trying to release some of the tension within him. 

 

Last night, Soonyoung had messaged Seokmin because the pressure to succeed in this competition had hit him all at once, leaving him panicked and doubting himself. Seokmin had stayed up and continuously reassured the skater that he was ready for the competition and that everything would be fine; the encouragement was so relentlessly sincere that Soonyoung had no choice but to believe the coach’s words.

 

“You’ll be fine,” Seokmin smiled, hand reaching over the stiff armrest to envelop Soonyoung’s small hand entirely in a comforting warmth, “How much did you sleep last night?”

 

“Four hours?” Soonyoung guessed, eyes squinted in thought, “Yeah, about that.”

 

“Same.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung pouted, feeling guilty for keeping Seokmin awake while he had a mini breakdown.

 

“Don’t be sorry,” Seokmin somehow managed to smile while scolding the other, “I’m just glad that you told me you were stressed. Also, we could just sleep now.”

 

“Don’t wanna,” Soonyoung mumbled, seemingly hit with a sudden wave of fatigue after realising he only slept for four hours and has been fueled by pure adrenaline since he woke up. He had been unable to sleep in the car due to the bickering between the duo either side of him and for once in his life would’ve preferred to be on a long-haul journey, “This flight is only two hours.”

 

“That’s plenty,” Seokmin remarked, leaning forwards slightly to peer at Soonyoung’s face and discovering that the was fighting to keep his eyes open. He smiled fondly and squeezed the skater’s hand to alert him, “If you’re tired, just sleep.”

 

Soonyoung shook his head in a lazily determined manner, “No. I’ll feel even more tired when I wake up, and I wanna talk to you.”

 

“You can talk to me all you want over the next few days leading to the competition,” Seokmin reminded the other, shifting his hand so he could lace their fingers together loosely, “Go to sleep.”

 

“Don’t wanna,” Soonyoung reiterated, head dropping forward and popping back up every time he almost slipped into slumber.

 

Seokmin shook his head in adoring disbelief, using his free hand to gently make Soonyoung lean onto his shoulder, “Sleep.”

 

Soonyoung whined in a slight croak, the sound coming from low in his throat as though he lacked the willpower to resist in a more vocal manner. He twisted his body slightly to get more comfortable against the other and instantly decided that Seokmin has the best shoulder to lean on.

It didn’t take long for Soonyoung to fall asleep, but before he did he felt Seokmin’s head rest atop his own and heard the other sigh in sleepy contentment. 

 

━ᕕ━

 

Soonyoung awoke with a slight crick in his neck to the sound of Seokmin calling his name and informing him that they were preparing to land. He nodded idly in response and untangled his fingers from Seokmin’s to reach his arms overhead in a stretch; the coach finding the whine that escaped him rather adorable.

 

“You could’ve just put my belt on for me,” Soonyoung complained, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his left hand while his right searched for the grey strap.

 

“You’re sat on it,” Seokmin pointed out and Soonyoung realised that was also why he couldn’t find it.

 

“Oh yeah,” he dragged the belt out from under himself and fastened it across his lap before lightly slapping his own cheeks to try and wake himself up, “Did I sleep the whole time?”

 

Seokmin hummed an affirmation, “You did, and you make the cutest noises while you sleep.”

 

“Really?” Soonyoung asked through a yawn, body tensing and then relaxing with an instant sag, “Like what?”

 

“You just whine or hum every now and then, it’s cute.”

 

Soonyong groaned in mild embarrassment, leaning his head back onto Seokmin’s shoulder with another prolonged yawn, “Wake me when we’re on the ground.”

 

“Nope,” Seokmin declared, “You need to wake up.”

 

“I don’t know how,” Soonyoung sulked in his drowsiness.

 

“Listen to music,” Seokmin suggested.

 

“That’ll just make me sleep.”

 

“Listen to something other than Dokyeom,” Seokmin corrected, knowing that the ballads aren’t exactly alarm clock material.

 

Soonyoung huffed, linking both of his arms around Seokmin’s to latch on to the other with a determined conviction, “Never.”

 

Seokmin would hardly want to change his mind and a knowing smile spread across his face before he quickly switched to recommending a different technique, “I could tickle you.”

 

“Please don’t,” Soonyoung begged foolishly, having now informed Seokmin that he is indeed ticklish.

 

“I’m going to tickle you.”

 

“Don’t,” came the warning whine which Seokmin ignored entirely, deft fingers jabbing into and fluttering along Soonyoung’s sides. The latter couldn’t help but laugh and jerk away from the touch, amusement fighting with annoyance in his voice, “Please stop.”

 

“Promise me you’ll stay awake and I will,” Seokmin ordered mercilessly, attacking Soonyoung’s stomach, “We will be on the ground in a few minutes anyway.”

 

“Okay, I promise!” Soonyoung pleaded, trying and failing to swat Seokmin’s hands away with a desperate laugh, “Just please stop.”

 

“Good,” Seokmin said curtly, hands exiting Soonyoung’s personal space in an instant only to return immediately to lock their fingers together, “Are you awake now?”

 

“How could I not be after that assault?” Soonyoung complained, no actual spite in his words.

 

Seokmin shrugged with a pleased indifference, “I did what I had to do.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Hate you too,” Seokmin joked back, kissing Soonyoung’s temple to appease the skater. The pair didn’t even realise the plane was practically at ground level until the wheels slammed down in not the smoothest of landings. Soonyoung sighed whimsically and Seokmin raised an eyebrow at him, “What?”

 

“I didn’t even get to make a joke about joining the mile high club.”

 

Seokmin snorted and then whispered into Soonyoung’s ear, demeanor changing entirely, “We could make that joke a reality on the flight back.”

 

Soonyoung almost choked on air, “Since when are you so bold?”

 

“I literally told you I’d be down to have semi-public sex with you on the first day we met,” Seokmin reminded him, voice filled with mirth.

 

“You make a good point,” Soonyoung discerned seriously until his composure was broken by an unusually brazen Seokmin whose lips were still hovering near his ear.

 

“If we  _ did _ join the mile high club,” he proposed hypothetically, hand slipping out of Soonyoung’s to travel up his sculpted thigh instead, “then you’d have to be  _ really  _ quiet.”

 

Soonyoung gulped, completely alert and hyper aware of Seokmin’s hand inching up his thigh, “I know.”

 

“Do you think you’d be able to be quiet? Silent even?” Seokmin didn’t give the skater time to formulate a response, sliding his teeth along the shell of Soonyoung’s ear and pressing a kiss to the spot just behind a simplistic earring when the other straightened in a shudder, “For me?”

 

“For you,” Soonyoung breathed out shakily, slightly relieved that Seokmin pulled away to study his expression, “If you told me to be, then yes.”

 

Over the last month, Soonyoung has been gradually informing his boyfriend of the things he used to like sexually since the latter was insistent on helping Soonyoung rediscover his preferences. One of the things he had mentioned was that he enjoyed being ordered around and although Seokmin had seemed hesitant of making demands to Soonyoung when they were discussing the matter, he was anything but coy about it right now.

 

“Then we’ll have to try it,” Seokmin decided, the statement coming out as more of an invitation than a command before smiling widely, the speed at which his air changed never failing to amaze Soonyoung, “Now come on, let’s go.”

 

“You’re staying in the hotel that the event organised for us, right?” Soonyoung enquired, standing up and absentmindedly toying with his ear as if trying to remove Seokmin’s enticing whispers.

 

“Yeah, it’s easier than booking one yourself,” Seokmin elaborated, stepping into the aisle with Soonyoung and retrieving both of their bags from the overhead storage, “You’re staying there too, right?”

 

“Yep, room 327.”

 

Seokmin froze in the middle of passing Soonyoung his bag, disbelief etched into all of his features, “Shut up.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m in 328.”

 

“ _ Shut up.” _

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another month has passed and its almost competition time!! this chapter was starting to get verrrry long so i cut some off the end but that's a good thing, it means the next chapter will be out sooner :) and im dying for all of them to be together just as much as y'all are so the next chapter will defo be out a LOT sooner than you think! 
> 
> please leave a comment! it would mean the world :D kudos are very much appreciated too!! <3
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆
> 
> the playlist is v chill,,,if u like chill,,,u will like the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/xiiaeo/playlist/389Kfrff7XN9q40r7wDcDV?si=sO24KHHQSciTlam4NMj_yA)


	7. I Like Me Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i wanted to upload this sooner but school starts again for me tomorrow hhh so i thought i'd drag out the space between chapters a bit more. my timetable for this year is Horrible even though im doing subjects that i love now they're all very academic subjects and since i'm doing one more than most people i have even less time hhh BUT since they're ALL academic i think writing will become my only creative outlet (as long as im not drowning in work sdjkfs) the term dates for this year are also Horrible so ye i don't think updates will be getting any faster than once a month :((
> 
> moVING on from a life update, good luck to everyone this academic year!! or if you're adulting it and have a job, i hope work isn't too taxing :)
> 
> this chapter is a lot of dialogue but finally all the lads are together!! and seoksoon share some long awaited words <3
> 
> I Like Me Better - Lauv ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/1wjzFQodRWrPcQ0AnYnvQ9?si=P1cc1vh-RZCfOcEhMl1XBA) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7fzkqLozwA)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Soonyoung quite literally fell into the hotel room with the stiff door being jammed shut until he rammed it with his shoulder and ended up sprawled on the floor. Chan stepped over him with a laugh and Soonyoung was left to scramble to his feet by himself, casting an annoyed glance at his roommate which quickly disappeared at the younger’s cute antics.

 

“They have hot chocolate!” Chan exclaimed in delight, waving the small sachets around after abandoning his bags to the foot of his bed.

 

“If you like hot chocolate that much then why do you never buy it?” Soonyoung questioned in a chiding manner while dragging his case over to the bed that Chan had left for him; the one furthest from the window.

 

“It’s not a treat if I buy it myself,” Chan explained with a shrug and put the precious sachets back into their little tray before copying Soonyoung and beginning to unpack his belongings, “Anyway, why aren’t you rooming with Seokmin? Did Wonwoo say you can’t?”

 

“Seokmin said we can’t,” Soonyoung revealed, taking his toiletries to the ensuite.

 

“Oh? Why?”

 

“Something about making sure Jeonghan stays in top form,” Soonyoung’s voice bounced around the tiled bathroom, “So they’re sharing a room and Seungcheol is rooming with Jihoon.”

 

“Do they even know each other?” Chan enquired, shoving his case full of clothes under the bed with the intention of simply living out of it’s contents for the next few days.

 

“They’ve been friends for years?” Soonyoung pointed out, “You didn’t know?”

 

“Hey,” Chan began defensively, “At least _I_ know Vernon and Seungkwan are going out, unlike _someone_.”

 

“Hey,” Soonyoung copied, “At least I know _now_.”

 

Chan hummed in a dismissive manner and Soonyoung flicked him on the head as he walked past, earning himself a slap on the ass in retaliation at which he just laughed and asked, “What time is it?”

 

“Almost one,” Chan replied, now sat on the edge of his bed with a sad pout, “We still haven’t had lunch yet.”

 

Soonyoung’s words were cut off before they could even leave his mouth as a musical knock sounded on the door, informing him exactly who was stood outside of their room. He bounced over happily and yanked it open, smiling in mischief at the pair on the other side, “It’s been way too long.”

 

“It’s not been long enough, if you ask me,” Minghao joked, stepping into Soonyoung’s outstretched arms and then moving to Chan who was hovering patiently beside his elder training partner.

 

Soonyoung shared an equally brief hug with Junhui and ushered the Chinese duo inside so he could shut the stiff door, “I thought you two weren’t coming to the hotel till tomorrow?”

 

“That was the plan,” Junhui nodded, watching fondly as Minghao easily succeeded in making Chan embarrassed by showering him in compliments about his recent improvements, “But we found out that all of you guys were coming today so we thought we might as well too.”

 

“Aw you want to spend time with us,” Soonyoung cooed and Junhui looked indifferent to his fawning as if his own words were commonplace.

 

“Well, yeah. We hardly get to see any of you ever.”

 

“Good point. You should move to Korea,” Soonyoung joked offhandedly and almost choked when Junhui informed him that they were actually thinking of doing so, “Why?”

 

“Minghao got an offer to endorse a Korean fitness brand and I’ve been talking it through with them,” Junhui shrugged, “Most of our friends are in Korea too. We only have each other in China.”

 

Chan mockingly gagged from where he had been tackled onto his bed by a affectionate Minghao, “Am I the only one not in love around here?”

 

“Jihoon’s single,” Soonyoung smirked and promptly had a pillow thrown at his face by the youngest skater.

 

“I’ll just forget you ever said that.”

 

Another knock sounded at the door after Soonyoung launched the pillow back at Chan and he walked back towards it, hearing Chan receiving too much affection for his liking from the Chinese couple as he yanked it open yet again.

 

Seokmin stepped into the room and kissed him, dainty hands cupping the side of his face and neck. Soonyoung’s hands shot up to hold Seokmin’s forearms in surprise, but he was still smiling and kissed back after the momentary shock passed, “Hi.”

 

“Hi,” Seokmin greeted, eyes softening with a smile, “Was that too spontaneous?”

 

“Not at all,” Soonyoung assured, giving the coach another peck before ushering him out of the corridor and letting the door swing closed on rusty hinges, “I like spontaneousness…?”

 

“Spontaneity,” Minghao supplied from the bed as the sunshine couple walked further into the room.

 

“Yep,” Soonyoung clicked his fingers at Minghao and then looked back to Seokmin, “That’s the word. I like that.”

 

“Good to know,” Seokmin smiled and then turned to accept the hug Junhui was affronting him with, “It’s been a long time.”

 

“It really has,” Junhui concurred, patting Seokmin on the back before pulling out of the embrace to gesture downwards, “How’s your ankle? Still ache in winter?”

 

Seokmin nodded, referring to the dull pain that was returning with early November, “It’s starting to settle in now.”

 

“Hey,” Chan interrupted the older three with Minghao stood at his side, “We’re gonna go get dinner from downstairs.”

 

“That’s fine,” Soonyoung shrugged, “Just keep your phone with you.”

 

“When do I not have my phone with me?” Chan mumbled to himself as the youngest of the quintet exited the room, causing Soonyoung to roll his eyes fondly.

 

Junhui continued their conversation with ease, addressing Seokmin whom he used to skate competitively with, “You still determined to never skate again?”

 

“Think so,” Seokmin responded dismissively as though trying to drop the topic.

 

“Shame,” Junhui gave a slightly sad smile, “Well, it’s an honour to have competed with you.”

 

Seokmin grinned, “Likewise.”

 

“Wish I could say the same,” Soonyoung inputted, the other two being skaters he looked up to a lot when he was younger.

 

“Aw,” Junhui cooed, wrapping an arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders, “You can skate with me whenever you want, can’t say the same for him though.”

 

Seokmin seemed vaguely distressed by the harmless comment and the finger pointed in his direction, spreading his arms in surrender, “Maybe one day?”

 

“You don’t have to,” Soonyoung established, slipping out of Junhui’s friendly hold to wrap loving arms around Seokmin’s middle, gluing himself to the other’s side, “But if you ever do want to, then we’ll all help you.”

 

“Thank you,” Seokmin smiled down at him, glad that Soonyoung could tell it was a touchy topic, “Should we all go have dinner too?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung decided, already guiding Seokmin towards the door, “I’m starving. You coming?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll come just to see everyone but I’ve already eaten,” Junhui explained, following the pair out of the room and into the corridor, “What time was your flight?”

 

“9:40,” Seokmin replied in a whine as Soonyoung detached himself from him, but then he remembered that their relationship is meant to be a secret and that this building is full of all of the figure skaters involved in this competition, so his sadness was relieved slightly.

 

“But we had to get up at like 4,” Soonyoung complained as they transitioned from the carpeted corridor to the metallic gleam of the elevator, “Honestly I’d rather sleep than eat right now but it’s been a month since I ate anything but Mingyu’s cooking.”

 

“But he’s a great cook?” Seokmin scrunched his face in confusion, as did Junhui.

 

“He is,” Soonyoung agreed quickly, shuffling to lean against the elevator wall as it descended, “But I’ve been eating the same three meals every day for a month because I’m on a diet.”

 

“Why?” Seokmin enquired, tone sounding slightly worried, “You don’t need to lose weight.”

 

“I’m not,” Soonyoung insisted, “It’s a very healthy diet and if anything I’ve been eating _way_ more than I used to because Mingyu seems to think we can all eat as much as he does in one sitting.”

 

Their conversation fizzled out and the trio left the lifeless elevator on the third floor, embarking on a journey to find the dining area lead by plush red carpets and Junhui reading the Mandarin signposts. They eventually found a large table populated by the majority of their friends who informed them that lunch was being served buffet style, leading them to go and fetch their food before returning to the table.

 

“Where’s Jeonghan?” Seokmin asked Seungcheol in a slightly accusing tone, sitting next to Jihoon while Soonyoung sat next to him.

 

“Shouldn’t you know?” Seungcheol challenged in a playful manner, “He is _your_ roommate after all.”

 

“He told me he was going to see you before coming down to eat,” Seokmin countered.

 

“He went to help Joshua find his room,” Seungcheol explained and Seokmin accepted the excuse seeing as though Joshua was the lucky one who had claimed a room for himself.

 

Soonyoung was seated opposite Seungkwan and Vernon, giving the pair a suspicious look as he tried to discern whether they were actually a couple or whether this was some elaborate joke that everyone was playing on him. Seungkwan cocked his head to the side and lifted his hand up from under the table, revealing that his fingers were interlinked with Vernon’s. The American coach was pulled out of his conversation with Chan and looked at Seungkwan in brief confusion before the latter placed their hands back on his lap.

 

Soonyoung pursed his lips and gave them benefit of the doubt for now, deciding to turn his attention to the various meats he’d piled onto his small plate instead of the smug expression Seungkwan wore.

 

“Did I say you were allowed off of your diet?” Wonwoo asked in a playfully accusing tone from the seat next to Soonyoung, laughing when the latter looked at him guiltily after having just shoved a plethora of fried foods into his mouth, “I’m joking. Eat what you want.”

 

Soonyoung practically melted in relief, continuing to devour his delicacies while Wonwoo informed him of their plans, “The ice dance is on the 7th so I presume you’ll come to support Chan and Jisoo?”

 

Soonyoung looked at his coach with a confused expression before remembering that Jisoo was the name of Chan’s partner for the ice dance and not their American friend, “Of course I’m going to support him...but what day is it today?”

 

“The 5th, it’s Friday. Nothing happens tomorrow and then the relevant things for us are the ice dance on Sunday, the short program on Monday and the free skate on Tuesday.”

 

“Are we doing anything today?”

 

“We have to go check-in at the rink and collect an official schedule but you don’t need to worry about all that cuz that’s what I’m for,” Wonwoo smiled proudly, “But you can come with me so you can look at the rink.”

 

Soonyoung nodded and swallowed a spoonful of rice before responding, “Sounds good.”

 

“Mind if we join you?” Seokmin asked from the other side of Soonyoung, the question directed to either of the coach-skater pair.

 

“Sure,” Wonwoo answered, “We can all go together after we’ve finished eating.”

 

“Enough work related stuff,” Seungcheol demanded halfheartedly, “Anything interesting happen since we last saw each other?”

 

“Well,” Soonyoung leaned forward eagerly, casting a playful glance at Jihoon before directing his speech to Seungcheol, “You know how Chan has a partner for the ice dance?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Don’t you dare,” Jihoon threatened.

 

Soonyoung remained unphased and smiled fiendishly, “She was injured at one point, so you know who Chan did his ice dance with?”

 

“Jihoon?” Seungcheol guessed the obvious with a wide grin, happy to have something to tease the other about endlessly, “Did you video it?”

 

“I was too amazed to even think of doing that at the time.”

 

“You better sleep with one eye open tonight, Soonyoung,” Jihoon warned.

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “Worth it.”

 

“How did you and Chan not kill each other?” Seungcheol enquired, “I’ve barely seen you within 10 feet of each other.”

 

“They would’ve killed each other if Soonyoung wasn’t there,” Wonwoo informed the trainer, “But when Soonyoung left I nearly had to run onto the ice to get them to stop bickering.”

 

“Where is Chan?” Soonyoung asked Wonwoo while Seungcheol began tormenting the life out of Jihoon, “He came down here with Minghao.”

 

“He’s over there with Jisoo and her manager,” Wonwoo pointed at a smaller table near the window, “She just wanted to talk to him about what time they are going to meet up tomorrow to practice one last time.”

 

“Ah,” Soonyoung nodded in understanding, observing Chan from afar, “He seems shy.”

 

“You know he’s one of the shyest people on the planet when he’s not on the ice or dancing,” Wonwoo pointed out, expressionless, “Jisoo is a bit of a perfectionist and Chan has told me a lot that he’s worried of making a mistake and upsetting her.”

 

Soonyoung cooed, “How sweet.”

 

“You’d think so,” Wonwoo began before contradicting the sentiment, “But she messes up and blames it on him, and you know Chan’s too sweet to argue back, so I really hated having to watch them train together this whole time.”

 

“Can I have a word with her?” Soonyoung asked, clearly intent on scolding the female skater.

 

“Absolutely not,” his coach replied instantly, “Chan’s learned to just let it go over his head and in a few days we won’t have to see her again, so don’t do anything stupid now.”

 

“Fine,” Soonyoung drawled in defeat, perking up suddenly when Chan left Jisoo’s table and began walking over to them, “How’re things?”

 

“Alright,” Chan said bluntly, dropping into the chair next to Minghao with a sigh, “Jisoo would not stop talking about her outfit and how it’s perfect but there’s a few sequins out of place.”

 

“Is that all you spoke about for the twenty minutes you were over there?” Minghao asked.

 

“Yes,” Chan exclaimed in exasperation, “She wanted to see mine but I told her that Wonwoo has it, so she asked for a picture but I told her I don’t have one and then she ranted about that for a bit too.”

 

“Sounds riveting,” Jihoon remarked.

 

Chan sneered, “Better than talking to you.”

 

“Don’t wanna talk to you anyway,” Jihoon huffed and then glared at his group of friends as they’re started at the childish antics unfolding before them, “What?”

 

“Nothing,” Seokmin smiled sweetly and prompted the group to start chatting again after Jihoon’s grumbling, “What does your outfit look like?”

 

Soonyoung smiled secretively at the question, “You’ll have to wait and see.”

 

“Aw come on,” Seokmin whined, “Can’t you give me a hint?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Please?”

 

“No.”

 

“Pretty please?”

 

Soonyoung finished his glass of juice before responding again, “I’m not telling you.”

 

Seokmin pouted sadly and stared down at his already emptied plate, “Okay.”

 

Soonyoung stood up and tapped the other on the shoulder, “Come on, we're going.”

 

“Where are you going?” Wonwoo asked, “We need to go to the rink.”

 

“We haven’t seen each other for a month,” Soonyoung whined over Wonwoo’s shoulder, “I promise we’ll keep it PG since you’re worried I’m gonna snap my back otherwise.”

 

“You better or I’ll be the one to snap your back,” Wonwoo threatened with no real bite to his words.

 

“Noted,” Soonyoung stated and then patted Wonwoo on the head before walking away, “Text me when we’re going to the rink.”

 

Seokmin was loitering beside Soonyoung for the duration of that conversation and he followed the younger skater when he began to walk back to the elevator, “Do you even know the way back?”

 

“Not a clue, but we’ll find it eventually.”

 

Seokmin stifled a fond laugh and then smiled when he saw Jeonghan and Joshua approaching them, greeting the pair with a small wave, “What took you two so long?”

 

“Long story short Joshua had been given the wrong keycard and was also told the wrong room, but the keycard was still wrong for the correct room,” Jeonghan concluded by spreading his arms, “But here we are now. Where are you two going?”

 

“Wherever Soonyoung is taking me…?”

 

“My room,” the skater filled in.

 

“There you go; his room. There’s enough seats for you two now anyway that we’ve left,” Seokmin realised.

 

“Great,” Jeonghan smiled, dragging Joshua along by the wrist, “Let’s go eat, Shua.”

 

After another minute or so of navigating through the maze like corridors, Seokmin and Soonyoung made it into the elevator with the latter voicing, “They seem close.”

 

Seokmin hummed in agreement, “They were best friends when they were younger but then Joshua moved back to the states and they kinda lost contact for a while.”

 

“Understandable,” Soonyoung commented.

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin followed the other out of the elevator, “They had a bit of a complicated relationship before Joshua moved away but it’s not my place to tell you any of this, I don’t know why I am telling you this to be honest.”

 

“Because you trust me,” Soonyoung smiled, swiping his card against the lock to then force the door open and lead his boyfriend inside.

 

“I guess I do.”

 

“You _guess_?” Soonyoung iterated in mock offence, sliding his keycard into the little socket on the wall to give the room power.

 

“You know I do,” Seokmin rolled his eyes and then watched fondly as Soonyoung flopped onto his bed.

 

The skater rolled over to lie on his back, body tilted to face Seokmin as he actually took in the other’s attire for the first time; only just noticing he wasn’t wearing the same clothes as he was on the flight. The coach was wearing loose jeans with a few rips across the knees and an oversized black sweater, white lettering down the sleeves that covered his arms completely.

 

“Why’re you just leaning against that wall looking all godly when you could be lying in bed with me?” Soonyoung attempted to flirt but it sounded more like a plea.

 

“Why’re you trying to entice me to bed when you could be between me and this wall?” Seokmin shot back with a big playful smile, walking over to the bed nonetheless.

 

“Touché,” Soonyoung groaned when Seokmin dove onto the bed and partly flattened him while trying to get comfy.

 

The coach was lying against Soonyoung’s left side, head resting on the latter’s chest while the sater lay on his back, “I can hear your heartbeat.”

 

“I should hope so,” Soonyoung joked, wrapping an arm around Seokmin’s back while an arm was wrapped around his own torso, “The only thing that proves I’m alive.”

 

“I can feel you breathing too,” Seokmin pointed out, his hand rising and falling with every inhale and exhale.

 

“I could hold my breath though, I can’t stop my heartbeat.”

 

“Good point,” Seokmin’s voice vibrated through Soonyoung’s body, the coach curling his fingers around Soonyoung’s side, “You’re so cuddly.”

 

“Says the one cuddling me,” Soonyoung quipped.

 

Seokmin turned his head to look up at Soonyoung who was slightly propped up against the pillows, wide eyes doing their best to angle up so his neck wouldn’t have to, “You love it really.”

 

“I do,” Soonyoung confessed, kissing the small creases that had appeared on Seokmin’s forehead before the latter lay back on his chest, “I love you.”

 

Seokmin looked back up at him, the previously lazy process happening in less than a second as the little forehead creases appeared again, this time in shock. Soonyoung watched with an enamored smile creeping onto his face as Seokmin’s shock moulded into a tender expression of placid acceptance.

 

“I love you too,” Seokmin replied sincerely, shuffling up the bed slightly.

 

“I love you _more_ ,” Soonyoung challenged with a cheeky grin, sliding his arm out from around Seokmin as the coach untucked himself from his side to hover slightly over him.

 

“I love you _most_ ,” Seokmin declared in a sweet murmur, not allowing Soonyoung to argue by silencing him with a kiss.

 

Soonyoung wasn’t complaining (for now), hand on Seokmin’s side to pull him closer, “Can I have something if I win first place?”

 

“First place overall?” Seokmin asked, a content smile still playing about his lips as he lay next to the other.

 

“Yeah, if I place first after the short program _and_ the free skate, can I have something as a prize?”

 

“Anything.”

 

“I want to hear you sing.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t miss the way Seokmin’s eyes widened and his smile dropped slightly before he replied after brightening up again, “Deal.”

 

“You react like you’re the worst singer in the world when I ask you to sing,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes.

 

Seokmin hummed in an agreed dismissal, “You’ll find out how bad I am if you win then.”

 

“ _When_ I win.”

 

“ _If,”_ Seokmin enforced jokingly, “Come on, I have to have _some_ belief in Jeonghan too.”

 

Soonyoung slapped a hand to his chest in mock offence, Seokmin being fully aware that he doesn’t expect the coach to choose between his skater and his boyfriend, “I can’t believe you don’t support me, your boyfriend, 100%.”

 

“That’s just how it is sometimes babe,” Seokmin played along, face scrunched like your typical sleazy player in teen movies when confronted about his numerous lovers, ending it with a wink, “Better get used to it.”

 

Soonyoung snorted in laughter and was even more amused when Seokmin’s whole demeanor did a complete 180 within a few milliseconds, going straight back to smiling like it’s a source of vitality, “Have you ever considered being an actor?”

 

“I did at one point, actually,” Seokmin nodded as if he needed to convince the other, “Would you be okay with me kissing other people as part of a role though?”

 

Soonyoung hummed and pursed his lips in thought, “Maybe I’ll become an actor too.”

 

Seokmin huffed a laugh at the solution, “I love the way your brain works.”

 

Soonyoung smiled but didn’t reply in favour of glancing at the small corridor that leads from the entrance to their hotel room, Chan appearing from the sound of the creaking door and instantly groaning at the site of the two on the bed, “ _Everywhere_ I go there’s just _couples_ being all gay and ugh.”

 

“You’re just jealous that you’ve got no one to be gay with,” Soonyoung taunted as Chan walked past the foot of his bed to get to his own.

 

“I would throw something at you,” Chnan glared at Soonyoung and then smiled sweetly at his boyfriend, “But I don’t want to accidentally hit Seokmin.”

 

Soonyoung responded with an astounded scoff, “Why would you hit me but not him?”

 

“Would you hit me?” Seokmin enquired with a challenging tone, clearly meaning it in an innocent way which Soonyoung would obviously give a playful twist to.

 

With a sly smile, “You bet I would.”

 

“I’m leaving!” Chan announced loudly, heading for the door after grabbing his bag, “Jeonghan and Joshua already ate snacks so we’re going to the rink now, so if you aren’t down real quick we’ll leave you behind.”

 

“Oh no, how tortuous,” Soonyoung sighed like a classic damsel in distress, “Being left alone with the one I love? How could I ever bear the pain that would bring!”

 

Chan threw a sachet of hot chocolate square at Soonyoung’s face before leaving the room with a slam expected of a disgruntled teenager, confident in his ability to not hit Seokmin with such a small object. The couple left in the room giggled like they’d just executed a master prank and ended up staring intently at each other as their laughter settled into contented smiles.

 

“We should probably go to the lobby,” Seokmin suggested quietly.

 

“Probably,” Soonyoung agreed, not making an effort to move.

 

“Race you to the door?” Seokmin suggested, trying to get their competitive spirits to overpower their drowsiness.

 

“What does the winner get?”

 

Seokmin hummed in thought, “The loser has to be their servant for the rest of the day?”

 

“And they have to call the winner master,” Soonyoung added with a playful twinkle in his eyes.

 

“Alright, on three…”

 

The pair did their countdown together calmly before ensuing their deathmatch race to the door. Soonyoung scrambled to turn around and crawl off of the bed but was flattened by Seokmin clambering over him to roll off the side and jump to his feet. Soonyoung followed suit and rolled off the bed, now on the floor and latching onto Seokmin’s ankle while the pair of them laughed at their situation despite their burning desire to win.

 

Soonyoung whined pathetically, hugging Seokmin’s ankle while the other tried to pull it free, “You should go easy on me since you’re my boyfriend.”

 

“Yeah?” Seokmin asked rhetorically, finally yanking his foot free to continue heading to the door in a flurry of limbs, “Well I’m about to be your master.”

 

Soonyoung pushed himself to his feet and chased after Seokmin, the latter’s longer limbs giving him an unfair advantage in Soonyoung’s competitive eyes. The coach slapped a large hand against the wooden door and turned back to see Soonyoung coming to a harsh stop behind him, “I won.”

 

“You did,” Soonyoung sighed sadly, collecting his breath from their slight scrap.

 

“You did...what?” Seokmin asked, indicating that Soonyoung was missing a word from the end of his sentence.

 

Soonyoung sulked for a few more seconds before perking up, deciding that he could probably have fun with this despite losing to Seokmin. He smiled sweetly and his voice carried the words with confidence rather than reluctance, “You won, master.”

 

Seokmin seemed pleased if not a little skeptical of this prize, taking the keycard out of the power socket before leading the pair out of the door, “Are you still gonna call me that in public?”

 

About to say no, Soonyoung reconsidered after seeing Seokmin scout out the hallway to check if anybody was within earshot, “Of course I am, master.”

 

“I don’t feel like I won,” Seokmin mumbled, incredibly conscious of the likelihood that someone would overhear them and misunderstand.

 

Soonyoung’s smug smile remained etched into his features as they entered the elevator and began their descent, backing Seokmin gently into one of the four walls and purring in mirth, “I can make you feel like a winner if you want, master.”

 

“There are cameras in here,” Seokmin murmured nervously, making eye contact with one of the lenses.

 

Soonyoung leaned impossibly closer to him, lips hovering next to his ear as he whispered through a playful smile, “But master, that makes it all the more fun.”

 

“You’re insufferable,” Seokmin stated, looking down at Soonyoung when the latter stepped back slightly, one hand resting on the railing and the other on the skater’s hip.

 

“But you love it,” Soonyoung concluded.

 

“I do,” Seokmin hummed in agreement and then kissed Soonyoung on the forehead, “I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” Soonyoung smiled instantly, the consequences of their race momentarily put on hold.

 

“It’s nice to finally be able to say it,” Seokmin revealed as the elevator came to a stop and they exited naturally to find their friends.

 

“Why didn’t you say it until now?” Soonyoung asked, not expecting it to have been him to say it first (ignoring this morning when Seokmin said it over text.)

 

“I didn’t want to rush you into anything,” Seokmin responded sincerely, wrapping an arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders since they’d agreed hand holding may draw some unwanted attention, “Since you told me about how your last relationship was I didn’t want to pressure you into being with me.”

 

Soonyoung inhaled to voice his reply but Seokmin continued on at a fast pace, correcting himself, “I mean, even if you _didn’t_ have a shitty ex I _still_ wouldn’t want to pressure you into anything but uh I don’t know I just didn’t want to scare you off?”

 

“I know what you mean,” Soonyoung assured, checking that the corridor was mostly empty before pressing a gentle kiss to Seokmin’s cheek, “I appreciate it, thank you.”

 

“No problem,” Seokmin beamed, looking positively elated while they entered the main lobby and joined their cluster of friends, some of whom were more like colleagues.

 

Wonwoo hummed in mock astonishment, “I’m pleasantly surprised to see you two _not_ looking dishevelled.”

 

“Can’t say the same for you,” Soonyoung shot back, gesturing to the small red marks on Wonwoo’s neck and the fresh creases in Mingyu’s previously ironed button-up, “Bathroom quickie?”

 

Wonwoo bashfully rubbed a hand over the hickies that he didn’t know were visible and shot a glare at Mingyu, “Maybe.”

 

Soonyoung slipped away from Seokmin’s side to holler at Wonwoo, succeeding in getting the other in a somewhat friendly chokehold, “Didn’t know you had it in you to do it in public.”

 

“ _Semi_ -public,” Wonwoo corrected in annoyance, previous smugness gone while he twisted himself out of Soonyoung’s grasp to catch up with the group that had started to walk to the rink.

 

“Like that’s any better,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes playfully, trailing behind the rest of his friends in a quartet.

 

“Shut up Mr.I’ll-be-a-good-kitten-for-you-master,” Wonwoo snapped.

 

Soonyoung squawked in an undignified manner while Seokmin squawked with intrigue, “ _What_?”

 

 “He sexted me once by accident,” Wonwoo explained, running circles around Mingyu while avoiding Soonyoung’s pleas for him to shut up, “Just because he hasn’t had a partner for a while doesn’t mean he hasn’t had a couple of flings here and there. This one guy wanted to call him kitten and—”

 

“Shut up!” Soonyoung shouted in a singsong, about to grab hold of Wonwoo before Mingyu stopped him and he looked up at the taller in betrayal.

 

“— _And_ he sent me a picture of him in lingerie by accident with that caption and I mean I won’t lie Soonyoung, you have a nice ass, but I didn’t really need to see you like that.”

 

“Oh my God,” Soonyoung groaned in embarrassment, “I thought you would have forgotten about that by now.”

 

“You thought wrong,” Wonwoo snickered, safely on the other side of Mingyu while Soonyoung walked between the latter and Seokmin on the wide pavement.

 

“Kitten, huh?” Seokmin voiced in amusement.

 

“Shut up,” Soonyoung retorted.

 

“Shut up _what?”_

 

Soonyoung sighed having momentarily forgotten the deal they’d made, he mumbled, “Shut up, master.”

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Seokmin teased, cupping a hand around his ear to hear better.

 

“Shut up, master,” Soonyoung snapped loudly, prompting Minghao to turn around and look at him with a raised brow, “This isn’t what it looks like.”

 

“Uh huh,” Minghao nodded in clear disbelief, “Whatever floats your boat.”

 

“I lost a race and this is my punishment,” Soonyoung explained very clearly, Minghao still nodding like there was more to it before turning back to face the way he was walking.

 

Wonwoo snorted from his safe space on the other side of Mingyu, “I bet you suggested that punishment, didn’t you?”

 

Soonyoung inhaled to disprove his coach but couldn’t because he was correct, leading to Seokmin answering for him, “He did indeed.”

 

“Idiot,” Wonwoo muttered fondly, Soonyoung not taking any offence at all due to being called an idiot so often as an endearment.

 

The group of skaters and former skaters entered the Capital Gymnasium, which was only a short walk away from the hotel, and they all stopped awkwardly at the reception while waiting for Junhui and Minghao to get to the front and solve their language barrier issue. After showing their official passes to prove that they are who they say they are, the armada of athletes were allowed entry into the main building.

 

“Coaches follow me to go to all the boring stuff,” Junhui announced, walking off down a corridor with his arm up like a tour guide without checking if anyone was actually following.

 

“The rest of you follow me and I’ll show you the rink,” Minghao ordered after the coaches had left, casting small waves to their significant others.

 

Soonyoung caught up to Chan and grinned playfully, “So, you asked Jihoon out yet?”

 

He should’ve expected the elbow that rammed itself into his stomach but it still came as a painful surprise, “I was _joking_.”

 

“You’ll be _choking_ in a minute if you don’t shut up,” Chan threatened seriously yet Soonyoung remained unphased.

 

“Yes please,” he purred jokingly, receiving a shove from the confidently shy skater.

 

“You’re disgusting.”

 

“You just can’t handle how amazing I am,” Soonyoung swooned over himself, wrapping an arm around Chan’s shoulders for support which the other decided to just bear with.

 

“You _are_ a lot to handle,” Chan agreed, though he meant it in a more taxing way, “I don’t know how Seokmin does it. He’s so sweet and you’re so... _you_.”

 

“Hey,” Soonyoung began defensively, “Seokmin _is_ sweet but he’s also filthy, you should hear some of the things he’s said to me.”

 

“I’d really rather not,” Chan declined quickly.

 

Soonyoung continued, enjoying torturing the younger as always, “Like one time he asked me what’s the most amount of things I’ve had in my ass at once and--”

 

“Alright,” Minghao drawled, slowing his pace slightly to wrap a long arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders and pull him away from Chan, “That’s enough for now.”

 

“But--”

 

“No buts,” Minghao interjected while Chan remained stunned at how much Soonyoung’s persona changed now that the Chinese skater was draped over him, rendering him compliant and somewhat coy, “Leave poor Chan alone, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Soonyoung mumbled through a pout, eyes downcast to avoid Minghao peering around at him as they neared the end of the long hallway.

 

“Hm?” Minghao asked, slender fingers splaying along Soonyoung’s stomach and tickling him, “What did you say?”

 

“I said okay,” Soonyoung smiled and laughed, answering loud enough this time for Minghao to accept the response and stop his harmless assault.

 

“Good. Now if he bothers you again, just tell me okay?”

 

Chan nodded at Minghao, still in awe of how he managed to get Soonyoung to stop being his rowdy self so easily, “Okay...Thank you.”

 

“No problem,” Minghao smiled, lips curled up like a square bracket as they entered the stands around the edges of the rink.

 

“Woah,” Soonyoung uttered in awe, “It’s a lot more colourful than I expected.”

 

“It is,” Chan agreed, surveying the stands which were divided up into blocks of coloured seats, “Is there a reason for the colours?”

 

“Don’t think so,” Minghao shrugged, still draped over Soonyoung and leading the small group along the rink wall.

 

“Are we allowed to practice now?” Jeonghan asked, comfortably sandwiched between Seungcheol and Joshua.

 

“No, they said there was something wrong so the ice hasn’t completely frozen yet but it will definitely be ready tomorrow,” Minghao explained.

 

“I don’t like rinks like this,” Soonyoung pouted looking at the ice, “They build them just for this and then they’re removed again.”

 

“Ice is ice,” Minghao shrugged, slipping away from Soonyoung to turn around and face the group, “The receptionist said there will be a sheet at the desk tomorrow from 7am where you can sign up for a practice slot time but priority goes to anyone who is competing on the 7th, anyone competing on the 8th or 9th can only take the slots that are left after lunch time.”

 

“Fine by me,” Jihoon uttered, “Not like I’d want to get up before lunch time anyway.”

 

“Same,” chorused Jeonghan and Soonyoung at the same time, leading to them staring at each other with mixed emotions.

 

Minghao turned around to the sound of someone calling his name and quickly greeted the member of staff before she began pointing around the place and explaining things to him, all the while he translated it for the others. She explained which rink door they would be entering from, the way to the changing rooms and toilets, and scribbled something on a piece of paper before giving it to Minghao and scurrying away.

 

“What’s that?” Soonyoung asked, peering around at the digits, “Did she just give you her number?”

 

“Apparently,” he answered, folding the paper and shoving it into his pocket to discard later.

 

Soonyoung snickered, “Gonna run after her and tell her you like dick?”

 

“I’m bi actually,” Minghao corrected, “But I could go after her and tell her I have a boyfriend but it’s not worth the hassle.”

 

“She wasn’t very professional,” Chan quipped.

 

“I don’t blame her,” Minghao flattered himself, “It’s not easy to resist my charm.”

 

“You’re becoming just like Junhui,” Seungkwan pointed out, joining the conversation for the first time after pocketing his phone, “They’re on their way over now, all they had to do was collect this booklet thing.”

 

“Sounds riveting,” Soonyoung enthused sarcastically, leaning on the rink wall while Minghao gave Seungkwan a look that portrayed how little he cared about being compared to his boyfriend.

 

“Nervous?” Joshua asked, leaning on the wall next to Soonyoung.

 

The younger skater was fond of Joshua but rarely spoke to him due to the latter living in the States, and he actually knew very little about him as a person, “Yeah, sorta.”

 

Joshua was about to enquire further but never got the chance to due to the boisterous return of the coaches, Seokmin of course being the loudest of the bunch as he announced their arrival happily, “We’re back.”

 

“We can see that,” Soonyoung responded in a singsong, scrunching the left side of his face when Seokmin gave him a discreet kiss on the cheek.

 

“Anyone have plans?” Wonwoo asked the whole group and received a negative from the lot, “Alright. Anyone wanna play cards against humanity?”

 

This time he received an excited chorus of affirmatives before they all shuffled back down the long corridor, out of the building and back to the hotel.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Arranging themselves in Wonwoo and Mingyu’s hotel room took as long as you’d expect it to for thirteen people to get comfortable between two double beds. The resident couple sat at the head of Wonwoo’s bed, joined by Jeonghan stretched out the side with his head in Seungcheol’s lap, Seungcheol sat in the corner and Joshua curled up at the foot of the bed; head also resting on Seungcheol’s lap.

 

Minghao and Junhui had claimed the head of Mingyu’s bed, spreading their long legs out with their backs against the headboard. There was enough room left for Seungkwan and Jihoon to lie on their stomachs at the foot of the bed facing the bunch on Wonwoo’s bed; Seungkwan’s legs bent up while Jihoon let his feet dangle off the edge of the mattress.

 

Vernon was sat on the floor between the beds with his back to Seungkwan, the pair close enough that Seungkwan could whisper into the other’s ear if he wanted to. Chan sat opposite the American coach but he didn’t have his significant other right behind him, if he were to turn around he would be greeted by Joshua’s feet.

 

Seokmin had situated himself between the two beds with his back against the joint bedside table, a pillow making the hard surface more bearable. He pulled Soonyoung down to sit with him when the other started whining that he wanted to sit on the bed, the skater now happily sat between Seokmin’s legs with his back against the coaches chest, “Won’t you be able to see my cards?”

 

“Mhmm,” Seokmin affirmed, arms resting comfortably around Soonyoung’s waist while the other slouched into him, “Should we just be a team?”

 

“Please,” Sooyoung nodded eagerly, “I never win at this game.”

 

“Because you have a shit sense of humour,” Wonwoo quipped from the bed and Soonyoung slapped whichever part of his leg he could reach.

 

“I’m sorry that not all of us enjoy the dark and cynical side of life,“ Soonyoung sulked.

 

“We’ll win,” Seokmin declared, accepting the cards Minghao offered to him and hooking is chin onto Soonyoung’s shoulder to arrange the cards in the latter’s smaller hands.

 

“We have shit cards,” Soonyoung sulked further, sinking down slightly so Seokmin pulled him back up to make the pair of them more comfortable.

 

“We have some decent ones,” Seokmin soothed, wrapping his arms back around Soonyoung’s waist now that the latter was holding the white cards in a successful fan shape, careful to not let the prying eyes of those above on the beds see.

 

“Should we all be in teams?” Minghao asked, halting his task of handing out the cards, “Otherwise we’ll be on each black card for _ages_.”

 

“Yeah probably,” Seungcheol decided, gesturing at his lap at the two using his thighs as pillows, “Us three will be a team.”

 

“I think I can see what the rest of the teams are gonna be,” Minghao muttered, handing cards to Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Joshua, then to Wonwoo and Mingyu, then to Seungkwan and Vernon, then to Jihoon, then to Chan, then to himself and Jun.

 

Seungkwan didn’t want Jihoon to cheat and look at his and Vernon’s cards so he sat up and pulled Vernon onto the bed, the coach now lying back against him and scanning their cards, “Who’s going first?”

 

“We will,” Minghao declared, being the closest person to the box of cards and taking one out, sighing instantly at the answers he knew would follow this card, “ _Blank,_ good to the last drop.”

 

Soft snickers went around the room as the teams and soloists shuffled through their cards to find their best and pass it around to Minghao. Soonyoung was sifting through their small stak with a concentrated pout, Seokmin’s chin still perched on his shoulder, “What should we go with?”

 

“We don’t really have that many that fit,” Seokmin commented, reaching a hand out to pluck one of the cards from Soonyoung’s tiny fingers, “This one?”

 

“I don’t think we’ll win but I find it funny,” Soonyoung mumbled with an amused lilt in his voice while Seokmin passed the card to Minghao.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

“Right,” Minghao began, reading off the cards and then handing them to Junhui, “ _The Blood of Christ,_ good to the last drop. _Alcoholism,_ good to the last drop,” he chuckled at that one, “ _Sucking the President’s dick,_ good to the last drop.”

 

“We’re definitely not winning this round,” Soonyoung sighed.

 

Seokmin hummed in optimistic agreement, “There will be many more rounds.”

 

“ _Daddy’s credit card_ , good to the last drop,” Soonyoung pouted when Minghao didn’t react to that card at all as it was theirs. The Chinese skater continued to rattle off the white cards he’d been given and then he and Junhui came to a consensus about who was the winner.

 

“ _Alcoholism_ ,” Junhui revealed, “Just because it’s ironic.”

 

“Hah,” Wonwoo exclaimed, taking the black card he’d just won and then directing his speech at Soonyoung, “You see where cynicism gets you?”

 

“Shut up,” Soonyoung snapped playfully, “We’re gonna win.”

 

“Or at least beat you two,” Seokmin added, setting a more realistic goal considering the mixture of different tastes in humour in the room.

 

“You’re on,” Mingyu accepted the challenge on behalf of the couple, “Loser has to buy the winner a meal.”

 

“Deal,” Seokmin said before Soonyoung and his poor wallet could even consider it.

 

“Alright,” Minghao announced, officially hosting the game at this point and passing the box of black cards to Soonyoung after everyone had collected another white card, “Your turn, we’re going anti-clockwise.”

 

Soonyoung selected a card at random and passed the box back, immediately reaching for it again after seeing the question on the card, “Gimme a different one.”

 

“Why?” Chan asked, not wanting the rules of the game to be broken.

 

“I don’t like this one.”

 

“You can’t change it just because you don’t like it,” someone stated.

 

“What does it say?” Seokmin asked gently, confused as to why Soonyoung was so adamant about picking another one. The skater showed it to him and he knew why he wouldn't want this card; despite this being a game with no harm intended, the possible answers to _What ended my last relationship?_ in a game as offensive as this may obviously remind Soonyoung of what _actually_ ended his last relationship, “Give him another.”

 

Seokmin showed the card to Wonwoo too and the coach instantly agreed, telling a small white lie and tucking the black card under his book on the bedside table, “Yeah just give him one, it’s a shit card anyway where you’ve gotta put two white cards forward and that just takes forever.”

 

“That would be a nightmare with this many people,” Jeonghan commented through a yawn while Minghao shrugged and allowed Soonyoung to pick a different card.

 

“Oh no,” the skater murmured.

 

“I’m _not_ letting you pick again, “Minghao responded instantly.

 

“No it’s not that,” Soonyoung waved the idea off, “It’s one of _those_ cards.”

 

Seokmin satisfied the curiosity of the players by reading the black card aloud with an amused smile, already anticipating the answers they’d receive, “This is your captain speaking. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for _blank_.”

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will stop the game there for now~ anyone who hasn't played the game can google the rules real quick if they need to :) seoksoon finally said i love you to each other!! uwu!! (also they haven't forgotten about the master penalty it's just on hold while they play this game skdjf) also soonie always turns into a soft bby around hao i dont make the rules
> 
> kudos are greatly appreciated and comments really keep me going, i can't express how much your feedback means whether it's a few words or a whole essay, it really makes my day :') <3
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


	8. Back It Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i had So Much planned for this chapter but uhhh there's like,,,,6k of sexy times in here,,,,so that happened instead,,,,idk whether to be sorry or not for that?? yall apparently like dom seok so here's some food for u but i promise there will be a Lot of plot progression next time skjfs 
> 
> !!if u dont wanna read the sexy times then you can stop reading after seok has given soonie a present at the start of the chapter!!
> 
> also!! i am taking part in a fic fest and posting starts soon and ofc ya bitch is writing for seoksoon so keep an eye out!!
> 
> ALSO ALSO I KEEP FORGETTING TO MENTION THAT THIS FIC IS SET IN 2021 THROUGH TO 2022 
> 
> Back It Up - THEY. ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/3d2vAXkmkIca1B5oj0seZB?si=nlVayffoRHeEZy-ysLc4sw) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZawDYPI0wto)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

“We lost,” Soonyoung sighed, sadly sinking back into Seokmin’s chest.

 

“We didn’t  _ completely _ lose,” the coach soothed, “We beat Chan.”

 

“Only by one,” Chan insisted, standing up and straightening his aching legs.

 

“Still beat you,” Seokmin teased as the younger rolled his eyes and joined the lazy flow of people returning to their own rooms for the night. He pressed a gentle kiss on the side of Soonyoung’s neck, the skater jolting slightly at the affection, “I can’t get up till you get up.”

 

Soonyoung hummed low in his throat and stretched his arms overhead with a whine, “Don’t wanna.”

 

“Well you gotta,” Wonwoo mimicked his friend and flicked him on the head, currently lying in his own bed which the couple were still sat next to, “We want to go to sleep.”

 

“I highly doubt you’ll actually sleep,” Soonyoung snapped drowsily, nursing his injured head.

 

“And I highly doubt that you want to stay around to find out,” Wonwoo winked and Soonyoung hauled himself to his feet in a swift motion.

 

“Excellent point. Come on Seokmin, we’re leaving,” Soonyoung announced, now completely alert, offering a hand to his boyfriend and dragging them both out of the room.

 

“Why are you acting so urgent?” Seokmin enquired, “It’s not like they’d actually go at it while we’re sat there.”

 

Soonyoung gave him a look.

 

“ _ Oh,” _ Seokmin realised, “They would?”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “Wouldn’t put it past Wonwoo to do it just to spite me.”

 

Seokmin snickered, linking his fingers with Soonyoung’s as they walked to the elevator, the corridors being desolate at this time of night, “I bet you’d do it just to spite him too.”

 

“Oh hell yeah,” Soonyoung agreed instantly as if this was an obvious fact, fingers curling around Seokmin’s naturally, “That’s just the nature of our friendship.”

 

“It’s rather amusing,” Seokmin stated, pressing the button for their floor once they were securely in the elevator.

 

“I’m glad we amuse you,” Soonyoung mumbled before leaning into Seokmin with a contented sigh as the elevator began it’s steady descent, “You’re so warm.”

 

“Says you,” Seokmin remarked, feeling the heat radiating off of the other.

 

“Yeah we all know that I’m hotter but you’re still hot.”

 

“Hey,” Seokmin quipped, knowing Soonyoung was no longer talking about their body heat from the playful tone of his voice.

 

“Just the facts, babe,” Soonyoung lifted his head off of the other’s shoulder to attempt a wink and give him a quick peck.

 

“Who you calling babe?” Seokmin asked with mock offence which morphed into mischief, “Aren’t you supposed to be calling me master, kitten?”

 

“Oh my god,” Soonyoung groaned and exited the elevator as soon as the doors opened, “You’re never gonna forget that, are you?”

 

“Absolutely not, kitten,” Seokmin teased and followed him, the pair stopping outside the doors to each of their respective rooms.

 

“I hate you,” Soonyoung whined, no real loathing behind the words.

 

“I love you too,” Seokmin smiled, taking both of Soonyoung’s hands and leaning down to give him a doting kiss.

 

“Do we have to sleep in separate rooms?” Soonyoung pouted, the doors to rooms 327 and 328 looming beside them.

 

“If Jeonghan can’t room with Seungcheol then it would be hypocritical if I roomed with you,” Seokmin explained gently, subconsciously mimicking the skater’s pout.

 

“Then let them room together just for tonight,” Soonyoung proposed, “The competition is still two days away and it would do all of us some good to destress.”

 

Seokmin bit his lip, thought for a second and gave in easily to the temptation, “Fine, but  _ only _ for tonight.”

 

A smile spread across Soonyoung’s face in delight, the skater giving Seokmin a bone-crushing hug before hurriedly disappearing into his and Chan’s shared room with the quick explanation of, “I need to get some stuff.”

 

“What are you doing?” Chan enquired, interrupted from sleepily scrolling through his phone while curled up under the duvet.

 

“Going to sleep with Seokmin,” the elder skater explained, grabbing some night clothes and his toothbrush.

 

“Going to sleep with him or going to  _ sleep _ with him?” Chan asked, unsure why he did because he doesn’t really want to receive an answer.

 

“I’m sure we’ll go to sleep at some point,” Soonyoung replied smug and vague before exiting the room with a childish glee. Upon stepping into the corridor, he caught a glimpse of a pyjama clad Jeonghan walking into the elevator with nothing but a toothbrush in hand and smiled to himself; not really understanding what he was smiling for.

 

He knocked on room 328 and Seokmin answered it within a few seconds, ushering the other inside and letting the door swing to a close behind them, “I see that Jeonghan didn’t mind this arrangement at all.”

 

Seokmin concurred, “He said he would’ve kissed me in happiness if we didn’t both have boyfriends.”

 

Soonyoung huffed a laugh, dropping his pile of pyjamas onto the nearest bed and going to deposit his toothbrush into the ensuite. When he came back into the room he discovered Seokmin rifling through his own suitcase, “What are you doing?”

 

“Looking for something,” he explained, digging around under the once neatly folded clothes.

 

“Looking for what?” Soonyoung enquired, sitting on the edge of the bed that Seokmin was kneeling next to.

 

“A gift,” Seokmin revealed, finding the item a second later and brandishing it to Soonyoung with a smile, “For you.”

 

Soonyoung accepted it with slight guilt at having never bought the other anything, “You really have to stop giving me things.”

 

“What can I say, I like to spoil you,” Seokmin shrugged unapologetically, pushing his suitcase back under the bed and sitting next to the skater, “Also, half of this is for me.”

 

Soonyoung furrowed his brows at the small, black box he is holding, “What do you mean?”

 

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

 

Soonyoung gave a curious look to Seokmin before doing as told, eyes widening at what he saw after taking the lid off of the box. Nestled in some plush fabric were two seemingly identical silver rings; thin matte bands with the date  **_08/09/21_ ** visibly engraved into them.

 

At the skater’s stunned silence, Seokmin felt somewhat nervous, “That’s the date we became a couple...and one of the best days of my life.”

 

A single tear fell from Soonyoung’s face onto where his hands held the box and Seokmin panicked further yet remained gentle, “Hey, what’s wrong? Do you not like it? Or am I a dumbass and got the date wrong?”

 

Soonyoung laughed a little at the last inquiry and looked at Seokmin with teary eyes and a heartfelt smile, “I love it. No one’s done anything like this for me before.”

 

Seokmin cooed and pulled Soonyoung into a hug, “Aw, don’t cry.”

 

“These are happy tears,” Soonyoung explained, voice muffled by Seokmin’s shoulder.

 

They pulled out of the embrace and Seokmin gestured back to the box, correcting himself, “Don’t cry  _ yet. _ You still haven’t looked at the inside.”

 

“The inside?” Soonyoung asked rhetorically, wiping the tears out of his eyes while Seokmin took one of the rings out of the box and inspected it before handing it to the skater. Soonyoung took the ring an scrutinised the inside of it, turning it in the dim light until another engraving appeared to him;  **_my little prince_ ** .

 

Seokmin pulled him back into a hug when he began to cry again, overwhelmed with various positive emotions, “Thank you so much.”

 

“You’re welcome,” the coach replied simply, rocking Soonyoung slightly while they remained embracing each other.

 

“I love you,” Soonyoung declared after pulling out of the hold slightly, glassy eyes filled with endearment as he looked at Seokmin.

 

“I love you too,” Seokmin smiled, moving his hands to wipe at Soonyoung’s face with the sleeves of his hoodie and encouraging him with a smile, “Now stop crying.”

 

Soonyoung smiled and then looked down at the ring still in the box, “What does yours say?”

 

“Why don’t you have a look?”

 

So he did, and he found the words  **_my sunshine_ ** engraved on the inside of Seokmin’s band, the latter giving an explanation, “I couldn’t exactly ask you what you wanted to put there, but you call me a sunshine a lot when we text so I went for that.”

 

“That’s what I would’ve told you to put anyway,” Soonyoung spoke softly, taking Seokmin’s right hand and slotting the ring onto his ring finger.

 

“Not going for the ‘I’m married’ hand?” Seokmin asked jokingly.

 

“Don’t need a scandal,” Soonyoung responded and then thought, “How can I wear mine without people asking about it?”

 

“Yeah I realised that  _ after _ I got the same date engraved on the outside of each one and thought that if people noticed we had the same ring it would be hard to explain why, especially if they traced the date back to the first time you slept at my place and there was all that media attention around it,” Seokmin paused for a second, “So, I have a solution.”

 

“Which is…?”

 

Seokmin reached around to the back of his neck and unfastened a plain silver chain, holding it out in between them, “You can wear it on a necklace.”

 

“That is a good idea,” Soonyoung agreed, “But why were you wearing the necklace?”

 

“I knew I’d lose it if i put it anywhere else, or it would tangle,” Seokmin shrugged, shuffling further onto the bed to sit behind Soonyoung, holding a hand out around the skater, “The ring please, Your Highness.”

 

Seokmin didn’t need to be able to see the eye roll when Soonyoung handed him his ring with a fond lilt in his voice, “Here you go, sunshine.”

 

The coach smiled at the playful response before pulling the chain through the ring and looping his arms around Soonyoung’s neck, passing each end of the necklace to one hand and bringing them back behind the skater to fumble with the clasp. He managed to fasten it with a pleased noise and then he peered over Soonyoung’s shoulder to see the ring now suspended flat against his collarbones, “Perfect.”

 

“Me or the ring?” Soonyoung asked rhetorically, looking at Seokmin out the corner of his eye and not really expecting an answer since it was obvious.

 

“You, of course,” Seokmin uttered, pressing a gentle kiss against Soonyoung’s neck for the second time that night; the skater tensing like he did the first time.

 

“You got a thing for kissing my neck now?”

 

“You seemed to like it earlier so I thought I should do it a lot more from now on,” Seokmin replied against Soonyoung’s skin, planting kisses from the base of his neck up to the spot behind his ear, all the while enjoying how Soonyoung’s breath stuttered to an inhale while he craned his neck to the side, “Am I wrong to think that you like it, kitten?”

 

“I like it,” Soonyoung confirmed quickly, affronted by the nickname and the low tone almost whispered into his ear.

 

“You like it _ what,” _ Seokmin teased, reminding Soonyoung of his punishment for losing the race that they had put on hold while playing cards against humanity.

 

Soonyoung swallowed thickly and complied easily, feeling suddenly rather hot with the coach hovering over his shoulder, “Master.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “You know, I’ve never been into this before but it sounds right when you say it.”

 

“You think I was born to be subservient?” Soonyoung asked in a slightly breathy voice, leaning back onto Seokmin’s chest and against his shoulder, looking up at his face.

 

“More like you were born to be  _ my _ bitch,” Seokmin responded, half joking and half trying to see Soonyoung’s reaction to the word.

 

The skater’s eyes widened in intrigue and his lips parted in silent surprise.

 

Seokmin smiled sadistically. Soonyoung thought it looked equally as out of character as it did attractive, so he wasn’t about to complain for whatever had just crossed Seokmin’s mind, “You really weren’t joking when you said you liked being degraded then, huh?”

 

“What would I gain from joking about that?” Soonyoung enquired, question disguised as a blatant agreement with Seokmin’s words while the other nudged him to sit up straight.

 

Seokmin got off of the bed and walked around to stand right in front of Soonyoung, between where the skater’s legs were dangling off of the bed at the knees, “What would you gain from telling the truth about that?”

 

The answer to this question is extremely obvious and Soonyoung could tell the second he looked up at Seokmin that the coach just wanted to hear him say it, but Soonyoung’s words came out more vulnerable than alluring as he looked back down at his lap, “I always thought it was something I was into but then my ex kinda ruined it for me...If he called me a bitch or anything it felt like he actually meant it…”

 

Warm fingers threaded through his hair in a comforting ruffle, “I promise that if I say anything like that to you, I don’t mean it even in the slightest.”

 

“I wouldn’t think that you did,” Soonyoung responded genuinely, enjoying the feeling of the fingers that are now repeatedly combing through his hair, “Because you’re you. I know you don’t mean it.”

 

“I definitely don’t, princess,” Seokmin added the endearment to lighten the mood and partially to revel in the annoyed look Soonyoung sent his way, “I do mean it when I call you princess though, 100%.”

 

“I hate you,  _ master,”  _ Soonyoung emphasised, having attained the skill of being simultaneously compliant and disobedient.

 

“You love me deep down princess, I know it,” Seokmin joked in assurance and then moved his hand from Soonyoung’s hair to his chin, tilting his head up so they were looking at each other, “Do you want to try the degrading thing now then?”

 

Soonyoung seemed slightly flustered at such a blunt question and he looked around, unsure, “Yeah? It doesn’t need to be like a set thing though, it should just kinda...happen? It doesn’t need to happen right now...”

 

“I know, I just want your consent in case it does happen right now,” Seokmin smiled, everso insistent.

 

“As always,” Soonyoung rolled his eyes fondly, though he greatly appreciated this side of Seokmin more than he showed, “I give you my full consent to make me your bitch.”

 

“Excellent,” Seokmin stated, pleased. He moved his hand away from Soonyoung and turned around to sit on the bed himself, “Get up.”

 

After some slight hesitation and a confused glance at the coach, Soonyoung did as told and was now stood in front of the other.

 

“Strip.”

 

“ _ What?” _

 

Seokmin raised a displeased brow, “Did I stutter?”

 

“No…?”

 

His brow rose higher.

 

“...Master…?”

 

“Good,” he nodded, “Then strip.”

 

Soonyoung felt incredibly small under Seokmin’s attentive gaze and enveloped in a domineering aura he didn’t know the coach could muster. In room 328 lit by a sole lamp, Soonyoung removed his hoodie in a swift motion and tossed it to the side; feeling exposed despite still being fully clothed save for his bare arms.

 

He held onto the hem of his shirt and searched for Seokmin’s eyes, finding the coach leaning back onto his hands and already meeting him with a levelled stare. Soonyoung peeled the fabric up slowly, revealing rows of lean muscle earned with diligent hard work on the ice. He maintained eye contact with Seokmin all the way until the garment came over his head and joined his hoodie at the other side of the room.

 

Seokmin keeping his silence made Soonyoung slightly nervous, so he decided to restore his confidence by teasing the other. He slid the waistband of baggy sweatpants to just low enough to reveal one prominent hip bone, “Do I have to take these off too?”

 

Seokmin hummed in agreement, “Take everything off, baby.”

 

“Everything?”

 

“You can keep your socks on, if you’d like,” Seokmin shrugged a laugh.

 

Soonyoung slid his sweatpants down past his thighs and then used his feet to shimmy them completely off, probably not looking like the sexiest person on the planet at that moment but at least they were off. He suddenly felt very shy thinking about removing his briefs while Seokmin stared at him, and the coach seemed to notice, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

 

The skater nodded slowly, hesitant thumbs pushing the black briefs down to his knees before they fell to the floor. He stepped out of them and bent down to pick them up, peeling his socks off at the same time to throw the bunch over to where the rest of his clothes lay discarded. Now completely naked in front of fully clothed Seokmin, Soonyoung’s internal flush was definitely manifesting as a visible blush.

 

Seokmin seemed to be busy making a mental map of his body before eventually standing up and easing Soonyoung’s nerves with simple compliments, pulling the skater close by his bare lower back, “I think you’re genuinely the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

 

“You  _ think _ ?” Soonyoung challenged shyly, looping his arms around Seokmin’s neck.

 

Seokmin shrugged and cocked his head to the side, “Can’t feed your ego too much.”

 

Soonyoung could only be mildly offended for a few seconds before Seokmin kissed him fervently, gasping when a large hand slid own to squeeze his asscheek and tightening his own hold in Seokmin’s hair. The coach took the opportunity to deepen the lip lock, their tongues tangling while he hoisted Soonyoung up by the ass; bare legs wrapping around his waist instantly.

 

Moved to be pressed against the wall with force, Soonyoung suddenly remembered that they’re in a hotel and that, “Chan is next door.”

 

“I know,” Seokmin responded, too busy nipping and sucking at Soonyoung’s neck to care.

 

“I don’t want to traumatise him,” Soonyoung responded shakily, trying to ignore Seokmin’s actions.

 

The other pulled out of the crook of his neck to whisper against his lips before reclaiming them, “Then I guess we’ll have to be quiet.”

 

Soonyoung’s moan was muffled between their mouths when Seokmin pressed him further into the wall for support and used his now free hand to thumb over the slit of his dick, pleasantly surprised to find it already leaking precum, “What’s got you so turned on, huh? Being the only naked one, the fact that Chan will most definitely hear us or just my sexy self?”

 

Soonyoung’s shoulder blades and ass were pressed into the wall, but his back was arched away from the cool surface in pleasure as he struggled to find an answer to the question, “Everything. All of it.”

 

Seokmin didn’t respond verbally but he seemed pleased enough with the response, kissing Soonyoung again and feeling the skater’s thighs tense and relax around his waist while he continued to tease his dick with fleeting touches.

 

Soonyoung whined and writhed for a few minutes that seemed like forever until Seokmin secured his hold on the skater and pulled him away from the wall, depositing him into the bed gently. Now pretty much eye-level with Seokmin’s crotch, Soonyoung remembered that his boyfriend has never been on the receiving end of a blowjob before and he looked up at the other as if requesting permission.

 

Seokmin seemed to realise his intentions immediately, the devious side of him making a cocky request, “Tell me what you want.”

 

Innocent eyes couldn’t distract from the words that escaped sinful lips, “I want to suck your dick.”

 

Seokmin undid the button and unzipped his loose jeans, sliding his boxers down slightly to hold his dick right in front of Soonyoung’s face, giving the simple order, “Beg.”

 

The skater looked away from the length in front of him and up at Seokmin, unashamed to ask for what he wants again, “Please, Seokmin. I want to make you feel good and I want to be the first person to wrap my lips around your cock.”

 

Seokmin didn’t give him a direct answer but the skater’s words seemed to go straight to his dick, it twitching in front of Soonyoung’s face. The coach chuckled, a breathy sound that appeared to be a strange mixture between the desire to give in and the desire to tease, “Aren’t you a naughty boy?”

 

“The naughtiest,” Soonyoung joked (for the most part) before leaning so that his cheek was against Seokmin’s dick, looking up while licking his lips, “Please?”

 

“Suck,” Seokmin instructed, giving Soonyoung the go-ahead. The latter’s hands flew up, one holding the base of Seokmin’s dick and the other resting on his thigh, while he moved to swirl his tongue around the head before taking it into his mouth. Seokmin exhaled shakily in pleasure, threading a hand into Soonyoung’s hair, “Fuck.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t give the other any time to get used to the new sensation before repeatedly sliding the length in and out of his mouth, sucking like he was trying to devour a quickly melting ice lolly. Seokmin seemed to pull on his hair as a subconscious reaction but Soonyoung moaned in slight pain that his body felt as pleasure, the sound vibrating around Seokmin’s dick.

 

“Fuck. l’m sorry,” Seokmin groaned, grip loosening in Soonyoung’s hair.

 

The skater slid off of his length, carnal desire evident in his voice and expression, “Don’t be. Use me all you want.”

 

“Are you sure?” Seokmin breathed out heavily while Soonyoung’s hands took over for his mouth for the time being.

 

“Yes. God, do I have to spell it out for you?”

 

Seokmin replied to the rhetoric, “Would be helpful.”

 

Soonyoung narrowed his already hooded eyes up at Seokmin in a challenge that contrasted to the submission in his words, “Treat me like I’m some 3rd rate whore who means nothing to you.”

 

“But you mean everything to me,” Seokmin shuddered while Soonyoung’s deft hands continued to work his shaft.

 

Soonyoung froze momentarily, then remembered that Seokmin told him he has had mainly vanilla sex up until this point, “You mean everything to me too, but I  _ want  _ this. And if you’re going to teach me what making love is, then I’m going to show you what a good fuck is.”

 

“I thought we agreed we could do both at the same time?”

 

“We did and we can, but not with you treating me like I’m made of glass,” Soonyoung pointed out, hands coming to a slow pump before letting go entirely, “Fuck me like I’m never gonna see you again.”

 

“But you’ll see me in the morning.” 

 

Soonyoung snorted, “That’s the point you dumbass, it’s like roleplay. You don’t actually think I’m a cheap whore, do you?”

 

“Of course not!”

 

“Then it’s all pretend. So as I said earlier, please treat me like a 3rd rate whore.”

 

“Then put my cock back in your mouth so I can fuck your face.”

 

The instant change in Seokmin’s demeanour from hesitant to dominant amazed Soonyoung and he wasted no time in complying; hands and mouth resuming their prior positions.

 

Seokmin groaned low at the feeling and tightened his hold in Soonyoung’s hair, “Do you actually want me to fuck your face?”

 

Soonyoung hummed an agreement which caused Seokmin’s hips to jerk slightly at the vibrations, “Do you have a gag reflex?”

 

Actions speak louder than words, so Soonyoung took as many inches into his mouth as possible, revealing that he has an almost bottomless throat. Seokmin cursed at the feeling and the sight of Soonyoung’s plump lips stretched around his dick, watching while the skater slid off almost all the way before doing it again, “God, that’s so hot.”

 

Soonyoung hummed and then relaxed his throat as best as he could when he felt Seokmin’s hand in his hair begin to move his head back and forth for him, slowly at first to figure out what worked best before making a demand, “Keep your hands on your lap.”

 

Soonyoung did as told at once, droppings his hands from where they wrapped around the base of Seokmin’s dick and rested on his thigh respectively. Seokmin became more rough with him, like he had requested, and was now holding Soonyoung in place by a tight grip in his hair while thrusting forward himself instead, now the one in control of the pace. Soonyoung hummed to increase the pleasure for Seokmin and also to make it easier for himself; mouth full and body wondering why he was currently unable to swallow.

 

At one point, Soonyoung gagged when Seokmin’s dick slid to the back of his throat, and though the comment from the coach turned him on greatly, he had forgotten how good the other could be at dirty talk, “You like choking on my cock like that, don’t you? Slut. Bet you’d be happy if I used you like this forever, hm?”

 

Soonyoung’s moan around Seokmin’s dick at the words became much more audible when the coach suddenly pushed Soonyoung backwards harshly, the latter ending up lying flat on his back and flushing scarlet in embarrassment and arousal. Soonyoung’s erection was standing tall and neglected, his breathing was harsh and heavy, and his lips were plump and shiny; Seokmin thought he looked delectable, messy hair and all.

 

“Hands and knees. Face the headboard,” Seokmin instructed and then dragged the skater down to the foot of the bed by the hips once he was in position, Soonyoung slipping down to his elbows at the sudden action, “That’s better actually. Face down, ass up.”

 

Soonyoung folded his arms under his head, turning to face the side and resting his cheek on his forearms, ass stuck up at Seokmin like a cat mid-stretch. He heard the cap open but his hips still jerked when cool lube was squirted onto his ass, Seokmin’s warm fingers following soon after. Soonyoung’s hips continued to stutter around as Seokmin spread the lube over his hole, and the coach was forced to hold his hips still with his other hand, “I love how sensitive you are, but be a good kitten and stay still for me, okay?”

 

Soonyoung whined low in his throat at the sound of Seokmin’s voice and the feeling of his finger entering him, back arching impossibly further and voice coming out strained, “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t be, baby,” Seokmin soothed, the contrast to how he was treating Soonyoung a few minutes ago making the latter feel a confused kind of pleasure, “Just stay still and relax.”

 

The skater did his best to remain still and quiet, timid moans escaping in airy pants of air that turned into a louder gasp when Seokmin raked his short nails from the base of his lower back down to the nape of his neck; Soonyoung shuddering at the slow drag of his hand. Seokmin continued to run his hand along Soonyoung’s back and ass in motions that left the latter with pleasant shivers running along his spine and successfully distracted him from the stretch Seokmin’s other hand was causing.

 

When deemed ready, Seokmin removed his finger’s and ignored the whine that came with the action in favour of kneeling onto the bed himself, Soonyoung shuffling up closer to the headboard to make room for him. He held the other loosely around the upper thighs, fingers wrapped around prominent hip bones, “What do you want?”

 

“For you to fuck me,” Soonyoung mumbled into his forearms instantly, sensitive and craving more stimulation due to not daring to touch himself while Seokmin was preparing him.

 

“Yeah? Then show me how much you want it,” Seokmin prompted, pulling Soonyoung’s hips back to press his dick between the skater’s asscheeks, hinting at what he meant.

 

Soonyoung hummed in pleasure and had no qualms about carrying out Seokmin’s request, beginning to move his hips in neverending backwards rolls, tensing his ass each time the length was deep between his cheeks. His breath came out in hot puffs against his forearms, staggering when Seokmin began to knead his ass, “You’re so desperate. I bet you could get off just like this, could’t you? Just at the thought of me fucking you.”

 

Soonyoung’s whine was cut short into a yelp when Seokmin slapped his ass at the lack of verbal response, “ _ Couldn’t you? _ ”

 

“Yes,” Soonyoung breathed, feeling Seokmin’s hand soothing over the abused area instantly while he continued to roll his hips but at a slower pace.

 

“So pliant,” Seokmin praised before holding Soonyoung still and sliding off of the bed, “On your back.”

 

Soonyoung flopped onto his side and then shuffled around to follow Seokmin’s order, propping himself up slightly against the headboard using the puffy pillows. A slight sheen of sweat was beading on some parts of his heated skin but he couldn’t care less when Seokmin began to finally undress himself, eye transfixed on the coach.

 

Seokmin’s loose jeans made for a much sexier removal than Soonyoung shimmying out of his sweatpants, as they pretty much dropped straight to the floor after getting past a pair of muscular thighs. The elder had no shame before, during and after removing his boxers, but Soonyoung noticed a slight shyness when he removed his shirt after the thick hoodie; upper body naturally not as lean as his lower body.

 

Seokmin crawled over Soonyoung quickly after discarding his clothes, the latter not even needing to be told to make space between his legs for the other. Soonyoung hummed playfully when Seokmin’s face came to be directly above his, “I have the handsomest master.”

 

“And I have the prettiest kitten,” Seokmin smiled, taking the roleplay as lightheartedly as Soonyoung is, “Who’s also the prettiest princess.”

 

Soonyoung pouted at that, “I’m a prince.”

 

“Uh huh,” Seokmin hummed, “Whatever you say, princess.”

 

All thoughts of arguing against the term of endearment went out the window when Seokmin kissed him, the skater bringing his hands up to tangle them in Seokmin’s hair while the latter was holding himself up with his own hands. This left Soonyoung predominantly in control of the kiss; something he relished in entirely. Soonyoung pulled on Seokmin’s hair and forced him to lean his head back, allowing Soonyoung to kiss along the column of his neck instead.

 

Seokmin let out a grunt at the new angle his neck was at and groaned low in his throat at Soonyoung nipping along his skin, unable to make coherent sounds with his head tipped that far back. He lowered himself onto one elbow, Soonyoung happily releasing his hair now that his target area had been brought lower down, and began to fumble somewhere down low with his other hand.

 

“What are you doing?” Soonyoung enquired, proud of the small love bite he’d created at the base of Seokmin’s neck.

 

“Condom,” the coach explained simply, shifting his weight back a bit so that Soonyoung was face to face with him rather than buried into his neck, kissing him again. Soonyoung kept one hand in the coach’s hair and the other trailing along his back, both hands scratching the skin slightly when Seokmin began to enter him and a low moan lasting for the duration of the stretch.

 

Soonyoung instinctively tried to close his legs but couldn’t due to Seokmin being there, and the other actually sat up to hold Soonyoung’s legs by the back of his knees, keeping them spread significantly wider, “How dare you not tell me that you’re this flexible?”

 

“Surprise?” Soonyoung offered cheekily, body jerking slightly when Seokmin began slow thrusts.

 

“Surprise,” Seokmin echoed cockily in reference to Soonyoung’s sudden response to his actions, turning doting in an instant, “You’re so beautiful.”

 

Soonyoung hummed in dismissive agreement, getting lazily lost in a steady pleasure that manifested itself in a way that Seokmin loved to watch. Soonyoung’s chest rose almost every time Seokmin entered him and his thighs kept tensing, accidentally fighting against the grip keeping his legs apart. Seokmin leaned back over Soonyoung who had turned his head to the side, returning the favour of kissing and sucking at his neck with a determined feverence. 

 

A louder moan escaped the skater as Seokmin began to thrust faster and continued to journey along his neck with a hot mouth, Soonyoung’s hands latching onto his sides before a low voice spoke into his ear, “Hands to yourself, whore.”

 

Soonyoung made an involuntary noise between a whine and a whimper at the name but did as told, dropping his hands to lay uselessly next to his jittery body. An intake of breath next to his ear told him that Seokmin was about to speak again but he was cut off by Soonyoung’s phone ringing from the bedside table.

 

“Ignore it,” Soonyoung insisted when Seokmin perked up at the sound.

 

The coach ignored  _ him _ instead, pulling out of the crook of his neck to look at the device as a devilish idea crossed his mind, “It’s Wonwoo.”

 

“I’ll call him back later,” Soonyoung declared in a breathy voice, eyes going wide when Seokmin picked up the device and held it to his ear, “ _ What are you doing? _ ”

 

“Hi, Wonwoo,” Seokmin answered the call as chipper as usual, like he wasn’t currently settling back between Soonyoung’s legs to continue fucking him, “Yeah, I’ll put him on.”

 

Soonyoung was waving his hands around frantically between himself and the phone, indicating that he doesn’t want to take it and whisper shouting to Seokmin as he offered the call to him, “Are you  _ mad _ ?”

 

“I will be if you don’t answer the call, kitten,” Seokmin spoke lowly as if chanting a promise, extending the phone fully to the other, “Take it.”

 

Soonyoung bit his lip and did as told, cradling the device against one ear with two hands as if that would protect Wonwoo from the situation at hand, “Hello?”

 

**“** **_Hi, sorry to call you this late. Did I wake you both up?”_ **

 

“No,” Soonyoung ensured, voice getting high pitched towards the end of the word when Seokmin decided to continue thrusting into him, “We’re still up.”

 

**_“Good ‘cuz I need to talk to you about Chan’s partner.”_ **

 

“Jisoo?” Soonyoung enquired with a comedicaly timed gasp, courtesy of Seokmin practically folding him in half to thrust in deeper. The skater had to hold the device away from his ear to pant for air and whine at the new angle while Wonwoo affirmed his reiteration, before biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, all the while Seokmin continued his actions sadistically, “What about her?”

 

**_“She’s really nervous. Like_ ** **really** **_nervous, to the point where she was honestly asking if she could just drop out entirely.”_ **

 

Soonyoung heard what Wonwoo said clear as day, but he also had Seokmin mumbling into his ear, “Does this get you going? Knowing that Wonwoo could find out that we’re fucking as we speak?”

 

**_“Soonyoung?”_ **

 

“Yeah?” the mentioned male stuttered, not quite sure which coach that response was directed at, “Sorry, I’m just. Tired.”

 

The silence from the other end of the line made Soonyoung nervous. Had Wonwoo caught on to the fact that the very definite pause in his sentence was accompanied by a quick intake of air, followed by a staggered exhale?

 

**_“Are you okay?”_ **

 

“I’m fine,” Soonyoung assured, biting down on his forearm to stop a moan from escaping as Seokmin began to fuck him fast enough to have him vibrating on the spot.

 

**“** **_Alright…What should we do about Jisoo?”_ **

 

“See how she feels tomorrow,” Soonyoung responded at light speed so that he could go back to biting down on his arm, only to have that option taken away from him by Seokmin holding the appendage above his head; Soonyoung whined.

 

**_“Yeah, I guess that’s all we can do really...Are you sure you’re okay? You sound like you’re in pain.”_ **

 

“I’m fine, Wonwoo,” Soonyoung insisted in a quip, “Just stretching.”

 

**_“Okay...If you need to talk, then you know I’m here. And please go to sleep soon.”_ **

 

“I know. I will. Goodnight,” Soonyoung responded uncharacteristically curt and tossed his phone onto the carpeted floor without a care in the world, finally having the freedom to moan out loud and not be scared of being caught out.

 

“You were so good, baby,” Seokmin praised, letting go of Soonyoung’s arm to cradle the side of his face instead, the latter leaning into the affection, “You barely made a sound.”

 

“I can’t believe you did that,” Soonyoung voiced between a constantly repeated short moan that bounced out of his throat every time Seokmin sunk deep into him.

 

“You said you like spontaneity,” Seokmin shrugged.

 

“I didn’t like  _ that _ !” Soonyoung protested, despite being very clearly aroused further by the prospect of being caught.

 

“Sure you didn’t,” Seokmin nodded in false agreeal before words failed them and the only sounds in the room were the soft cushioning of skin on skin and Soonyoung’s staccato moans.

 

It didn’t take long for Soonyoung to begin to whine in what was a clear indicator of him being close to orgasm, “Seokmin, please.”

 

The other didn’t respond but did pick up his pace, Soonyoung’s knees almost next to his ears at this point. His body was vibrating with a need for release which it seemed Seokmin was willing to give, until the very last second where he pulled out entirely and left Soonyoung gasping and arching pathetically in chase of his denied orgasm. 

 

He looked at Seokmin with betrayal written clearly across his features, the coach raising a brow at him, “You think you deserve to cum? Just for being quiet for a few minutes?”

 

Soonyoung was quivering in denial and was too out of it to decode the response Seokmin wanted to hear, so he hazarded a guess, “No, Sir.”

 

He watched the coach’s expression darken at the title, having remembered the first time they had sex and discovering that Seokmin said he liked to be called sir, “You really know how to get what you want, don’t you?”

 

“If I did then I’d be covered in cum right now,” Soonyoung responded brazenly, finally getting his breathing under control while staring up at Seokmin who was sat back on his haunches.

 

Seokmin narrowed his eyes slightly, “Roll over.”

 

Soonyoung dragged his body into a roll, facedown on the mattress and about to lift himself up on shaky limbs before warm hands pushed him back down, “Lie down, I don’t want you to hurt your back, but lift your hips up for a sec.”

 

He did as told with minimal effort, finding Seokin slotting a pillow under his hips to angle his ass up slightly, “Comfy?”

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung mumbled into where his arms were folded in front of his face.

 

“Good,” Seokmin responded before delivering a slap to Soonyoung’s ass, to which he received a twitch and a pained whimper, “That was for talking back to me all the time.”

 

“Sorry, Sir,” Soonyoung offered in slight shame.

 

“Don’t do it again,” Seokmin instructed in a softer voice, soothing his hand over the newly formed red patch before shuffling closer to enter Soonyoung again, the latter releasing the same drawn out groan at the initial stretch

 

Seokmin wasted no time in picking up his pace this time, sending Soonyoung’s finally recovered body straight back into the state of being a quivering mess within less than a minute, “Aren’t you a lazy slut, hm? Making me do all the work.”

 

Soonyoung didn’t respond in favour of repeatedly muffling his moans into his arms, Seokmin’s words affecting him in ways some people couldn't fathom. Seokmin took a hand off of its place on Soonyoung’s hip and tangled it in the other’s hair instead, pulling hard enough that the skater had to lift up to support himself on his elbows with a strained moan, “You really do like being used, don’t you? I bet you wish you had another cock in your mouth right now, am I right?”

 

“Yes,” Soonyoung agreed quickly, bouncing back against Seokmin’s dick at an erratic rhythm.

 

“Filthy,” Seokmin scolded, though Soonyoung felt it as a praise, before releasing his grip on his hair only to hold him around the front of the throat instead, pulling Soonyoung’s back up to be against his own chest.

 

Soonyoung made a strangled sound at the treatment but showed no signs of not enjoying it, erection still left untouched and standing to attention while he begged, “Please.”

 

“Please what?” Seokmin tormented, keeping up his quick thrusts despite more effort being required in this position.

 

“Please let me cum this time,” Soonyoung requested, leaning his head back onto Seokmin’s shoulder while the latter still clasped a hand around his throat, strained moans going straight into Seokmin’s ear.

 

“If you’re good,” Seokmin hummed, “You’ll be good for me, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then be a good little whore and cum for me,” Seokmin directed, the honey-voiced words combined with the relentless pace and the permission to cum finally sending Soonyoung over the edge; Seokmin moving to catch most of the streaks of white in his hand not currently wrapped around the other’s throat.

 

The coach came slightly after with the feeling of Soonyoung orgasming around him aiding him in his release. Soonyoung flopped onto the bed as soon as Seokmin released his grip on him, dick sliding out of him at the change of position causing them both to groan. Soonyoung’s pulse throbbed harshly throughout his body and his vision had faded to be filled with black speckles.

 

His body continued to twitch as small waves of pleasure stemmed from his pelvis with even slight movements, vaguely registering the sound of Seokmin, now in the ensuite, washing his hands before returning. Warm hands rolled him over gently to be lying on his back before wiping any leftover cum off of his stomach and dick, Soonyoung shuddering when he did the latter.

 

“Was that okay?” Seokmin asked, suddenly timid while pulling the duvet out from under Soonyoung, sliding in next to him and letting it pool at their waists.

 

“Amazing,” Soonyoung huffed, snuggling up to Seokmin instantly despite being overwhelmingly hot, sweaty and naked, “You have a filthy mouth.”

 

Seokmin snickered into Soonyoung’s hair, the latter comfortably tucked into his chest, “Why thank you. I’m glad you think so because I had to sit through so much straight porn to get a better idea of how to do this whole degrading thing.”

 

“Seriously?” Soonyoung questioned and received an affirmative hum, “Damn, that’s dedication. Remind me why I haven’t married you yet?”

 

“Not too sure myself,” the pair laughed softly, Soonyoung’s hips still stuttering occasionally while Seokmin was content to bask in the afterglow with him, “Feel that good, huh?”

 

“Hm,” Soonyoung hummed, fatigue settling in quickly, “So good. You?”

 

“Same here, though I don’t think I got as riled up as you did,” Seokmin pointed out.

 

“You call a guy a whore and you can get him to do anything,” Soonyoung yawned into Seokmin’s chest, speaking as though this was a general rule and not just how he himself reacts.

 

“Goodnight, Soonyoung,” Seokmin prompted gently despite his amusement at the sleepily candid skater, aware that just because his body is still jolting randomly doesn’t mean he has the energy to stay awake.

 

Soonyoung attempted to formulate something that sounded like a goodnight before succumbing easily to the weight of his heavy eyelids, unknowingly lulled to sleep by the humming of his favourite singer.

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was v self indulgent n sdkjf BUT pls don't forget about the rings seok got for them at the start of this chapter uwu
> 
> please please please comment or i will Cry ;(( gimme kudos too i love me some of those :))
> 
>  
> 
> [playlist link](https://open.spotify.com/user/xiiaeo/playlist/389Kfrff7XN9q40r7wDcDV?si=SslCyXtuRz65WopcUTISGw)
> 
>  
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


	9. Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it me!! hello!! i am still on haitus and will probably only update again after some of my Actual Final Exams in mid-late may but i got motivation to finish this chapter which has been left half done for a long time. for anyone who doesn't follow me on twitter or doesn't know why i'm on haitus, my dad passed away in december 2018 and writing was the least of my concerns obviously. each day is different though and lately i feel like writing again :) i just want to say thank you for being patient and for sending me support, whether directly, anonymously, or just having me in your thoughts, it really means the world <3
> 
> that being said!! return of ice boyos!! 8k!!
> 
> Drive - Glades ☆ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/0czTyG0fnI3ERVcVrUx8Ol?si=0NVQq1pXSz6vdeJm0jrVwA) ☆ [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKzjgZhQSig)

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Soonyoung woke up with a confused groan at feeling pressure on various points of his legs, lying on his back and blinking his eyes into a focus to see his boyfriend sitting next to him, “Seokmin?”

 

The coach drew his determined expression away from where his hands were working at Soonyoung’s legs to look at his face scrunched with sleep, “Morning.”

 

“What are you doing?” Soonyoung yawned, letting his head drop back onto the pillow and whining as Seokmin’s fingers jabbed at his muscles.

 

“Giving you a massage because you’re in dire need of one,” Seokmin shrugged, moving to the top of Soonyoung’s thigh, “And your skin was freezing so I dressed you.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Soonyoung realised, feeling the fabric of his t-shirt tickle his stomach and his sweatpants hug his legs, “I didn’t even notice.”

 

“I’m not surprised,” Seokmin chuckled, hands moving to the other thigh, “You slept like a log.”

 

“And whose fault is that?” 

 

Seokmin just gave a knowing smile as an answer, “I’m guessing you liked it then?”

 

“I loved it,” Soonyoung corrected in a whine, Seokmin’s fingers still kneading into his thigh, “But I definitely can’t do that every night.”

 

“That makes two of us,” Seokmin huffed a laugh, “I can only call you a whore so many times before I start to feel bad about it.”

 

Soonyoung snorted in amusement, “You’re too nice.”

 

“It’s because I love you,” the coach smiled.

 

“I love you too,” Soonyoung responded, smiling into the brief kiss Seokmin gave after leaning over to his lips.

 

“Roll over for me,” Seokmin asked with the clear intention of massaging the backs of the other’s legs.

 

“Yes Sir,” Soonyoung complied playfully, the coach giving his ass a light smack in retaliation as he rolled, “Hey!”

 

“I know you liked that so don’t you  _ ‘hey’  _ me.”

 

“Point taken,” the skater’s words were slightly muffled by his pillow.

 

“Do you think Wonwoo clued on to what was happening when he called?”

 

Soonyoung groaned in remembrance and pain as Seokmin prodded at a knot under his flesh, “I can’t believe you made me answer the call.”

 

“It was hot,” Seokmin shrugged, “Watching you trying to act all casual while shaking and nearly crying because I was fucking you.”

 

“You making me take the call was hot,” Soonyoung admitted, almost drooling as Seokmin’s fingers worked the pain out of him and turned it into pleasure, “But I still can’t believe you did it.”

 

Seokmin laughed, “Don’t you remember that one of the first things I said to you was basically implying I would be down for at least semi-public sex?”

 

“How could I forget,” Soonyoung uttered, remembering the conversation from the locker room at his rink, “That didn’t really translate in my brain to phone call, but I can see the connection.”

 

“I have a thing for being almost caught,” Seokmin stated casually.

 

“What about if you  _ do _ get caught?” Soonyoung asked, voice muffled into the pillow.

 

“You mean like someone actually walking in and seeing me?” the coach enquired, waiting for Soonyoung to nod slightly before answering with a sense of pride evident in his tone, “Hasn’t happened yet.”

 

“Lucky.”

 

“I’d call it a skill, but if you say so,” Seokmin joked, the pair dissolving into comfortable silence while he massaged Soonyoung’s legs and then moved onto his back.

 

“My back hurts,” Soonyoung warned when the other positioned himself with a knee either side of his hips.

 

“Where?” Seokmin asked, using Soonyoung’s ass as a seat while he gently slid the fabric of his shirt up so it was bunched around his shoulder blades.

 

Soonyoung reached back to move one of Seokmin’s hands to the painful spot at the side of his mid-lower back, tensing when the other pushed on the area, “There, and at the other side too.”

 

“Where I was holding you,” Seokmin realised with an apologetic pout, “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine,” Soonyoung mumbled, folding his arms under his head, “Just massage it and I’ll accept your apology.”

 

“Can do,” Seokmin quipped before proceeding to massage the other for what felt like at least an hour but was actually only twenty minutes.

 

In the calm silence of the room interrupted by only the soft sound of skin gliding against skin and the occasional groan from Soonyoung, Seokmin became mildly fascinated by the others muscles tensing as he kneaded them. Sudden shallow lines would appear on Soonyoung’s back as small sections of muscles twitched and the skater enjoyed the feeling of Seokmin’s fingers skating along his skin to coax him back into a relaxed state. 

 

The shrill tone of Soonyoung receiving a message had Seokmin dragging himself across the room to where the other had tossed the device last night before walking back to sit on the bed and hand it over, “It’s Wonwoo.”

 

Soonyoung stretched his arms overhead after rolling onto his back, accepting the device and tapping on it half-heartedly as he blinked the lingering remnants of sleep from his eyes, “He’s just saying that Chan is practicing soon, he booked his slot for 10:30–Jesus, it’s nearly 10am!”

 

The skater sat up with the sudden realisation as if he had overslept and missed an important event. Seokmin gave him an eyebrow raise and a shrug, “I thought you deserved a lie-in. Why? Did you need to be up?”

 

Soonyoung rubbed a hand over his face and through his bed-head in thought, “No? I just can’t remember the last time I woke up after 7am at the  _ latest. _ ”

 

“Then you definitely deserved to sleep-in.”

 

“I guess,” Soonyoung trailed off, sitting up straighter and feeling some of his bones click into place as his shoulders rolled back, “I better get ready and go see Chan.”

 

Seokmin nodded in understanding, “I’ve got to go see Jeonghan soon because he said there’s something wrong with his outfit, so we have to call the designer and everything.”

 

“Sounds stressful,” Soonyoung commented, sliding off of the bed before padding across the carpeted floor to the ensuite where he left the door open as he prepared to brush his teeth, “What’s wrong with the outfit?”

 

Seokmin threw his hands up in confusion, “Beats me. He sent me a picture of him in it and I think it looks fine, but I guess I’ll find out when I see him.”

 

Sonyoung mumbled a sentence around a mouthful of toothpaste and received a confused eyebrow raise from Seokmin, so he held his finger up to instruct the other to wait a minute before he spat the chemical mixture into the basin, “Chan is having problems too, with his partner.”

 

“Jisoo? What’s up with her?”

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes in exasperation as he traipsed about the room picking up his scattered garments and belongings, “She’s a perfectionist, which wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t affecting Chan, but it is. If anything goes wrong while they’re practicing then she blames it on him even if it’s obvious that it was her fault.”

 

“Poor Chan,” Seokmin pouted in sympathy, sat on the bed with his legs crossed, “When did you find this out?”

 

“Yesterday at lunch,” Soonyoung divulged, picking his phone up off of the bed and now stood with a bundle of items in his arms, “Wonwoo told me but I want to see for myself, so I’m going to watch them today. I mean, I’m going to watch to support Chan  _ anyway _ but I want to speak to her if she’s out of line.”

 

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Seokmin warned while looking up at the other, “It’s the day before their final performance and being called out by a senior skater won’t do anything for her nerves.”

 

“And her taking her frustrations out on Chan won’t do anything for  _ his  _ nerves,” Soonyoung pointed out, switching from looking down at the other to looking up when he came to stand in front of him, “I’m not going to terrorise her, y’know?”

 

“I know,” Seokmin voiced with a soft gaze, “You’re not exactly the scariest person alive.”

 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Soonyoung decided, smiling into the gentle kiss that Seokmin pressed onto his lips.

 

“You should go get ready,” Seokmin murmured quietly, mere inches away from the other.

 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung agreed with no real conviction in the same serene tone, sighing when his phone vibrated with another message on top of the bundle in his arms, “I actually should go.”

 

Seokmin nodded with a hum before making a noise of realisation and reaching out to Soonyoung, one finger hooking around the collar of his shirt and the other hand picking up the chain currently dangling in view. He dropped the secret symbol of love into the skater’s shirt and then let go of his collar, “You have to keep this out of view, my little prince.”

 

Soonyoung reached a hand up to his chest to hold the ring through the fabric, smiling as the words engraved on the metal poured out of Seokmin’s mouth, “I will.”

 

“I love you,” Seokmin declared sincerely, pressing another kiss to Soonyoung’s lips before the skater had a chance to reply.

 

“I love you too,” Soonyoung smiled after the kiss, stretching up to give the coach another one before stepping towards the door with a small voice, “See you later?”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin promised, giving the other a slight wave when he turned back before stepping out of the room, his own ring glinting in the feeble light of a winter morning where it sat nestled around his finger.

 

━ᕕ━

 

After changing into a clean set of gym clothes, Soonyoung left his room, left the building, and traipsed along the foreign roads to the rink where his coach and training partner awaited. He made a quick stop at the dinding area in the hotel and fetched some bread to eat on his way there, pulling the strings of his hoodie closed tight after finishing the fluffy food.

 

Once at the rink, he showed his ID to the receptionist and meandered around the corridors until he found the rink side, wishing that he had paid more attention when Minghao had led the way yesterday.

 

“Nice of you to finally show up,” Wonwoo chimed in mirth when he heard the other approaching, turning to look with mild concern afterwards, “You okay?”

 

“Yeah?” Soonyoung responded in confusion, leaning on the rink wall next to his coach, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“On the phone last night you sounded out of breath, I was worried that you’d had another nightmare,” Wonwoo spoke lowly, aware of any staff scuttling around to prepare things for later.

 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Soonyoung voiced, glancing away nervously but acting like he was just watching Chan skating across the rink, “No. I was fine, I promise.”

 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him, “You sure?”

 

“I’m sure,” Soonyoung nodded as if that would force the other to believe him, “I’m completely fine. Better than fine.”

 

“If you’re sure,” Wonwoo trailed off, casting his gaze to the rink for now but the skater’s nervous state hadn’t escaped his notice.

 

“How’s it going?” Soonyoung asked in a desperate attempt to change the topic at hand to the two skaters dancing on the ice.

 

“Could be better,” Wonwoo stated honestly, “Jisoo is really stiff.”

 

“She is,” Soonyoung concurred after watching her for only a few seconds, “She been taking it out on Chan again?”

 

“A bit,” the coach replied with an apprehensive scrunch of the face, cutting himself short at the sound of a calamity.

 

The pair of young skaters had gone sliding across the ice together when Jisoo veered too far to the left, knocking into Chan and knocking herself off balance. Chan jumped back up to his feet immediately, completely unharmed, but Jisoo remained curled up on the ice as her tight clothes dampened rapidly.

 

At Chan questioning her wellbeing she began to get up slowly, yet when he offered her an assistive hand she slapped it away in a strop. Soonyoung’s eyes narrowed at the hurt that was written across his friend’s features and he yelled across the rink, “Hey! Come over here! Both of you!”

 

“What are you doing?” Wonwoo whisper-shouted as the pair made their way over slowly; Jisoo’s coach also walking around the rink edge in mildly offended intrigue.

 

“Sorting this out since you and her coach are clearly not doing anything about it,” Soonyoung snapped before addressing the young pair now stood before him on the other side of the rink wall, “What’s going on then? You both nervous?”

 

They nodded timidly in silence, as if they were being questioned by a teacher and couldn’t tell whether the question was rhetorical or not.

 

“And? You think everyone else here  _ isn’t  _ nervous?” Soonyoung continued his mini speech to the two young skaters, Chan looking away like a younger brother would when being lectured by his elder brother and Jisoo just keeping her eyes on the ice, “I guarantee you that every single skater and every single coach involved in this competition is nervous, but you don’t see an of them taking it out on each other, do you?”

 

It was an indirect question but everyone present could tell that the last question was definitely meant for Jisoo. Her coach tried to interject but Soonyoung’s passionate voice cut him off easily, “You are performing  _ tomorrow _ , you have trained for  _ months _ if not at least a year and you are both more than ready to do this and walk away with a medal. So, let’s take a break now. Cool off for five minutes then get back to it from the beginning, okay?”

 

Jisoo nodded meekly, skating away to do some lazy laps and still having never met Soonyoung’s eyes, while Chan gave a smile to his elder friend, “Thank you.”

 

“I just don’t want you to have more unnecessary stress,” Soonyoung shrugged, “It’s not a big deal, but seriously go cool off.”

 

“Yes mother,” Chan rolled his eyes playfully before they darkened with a devious twinkle, “But after this I need to talk to you about something,  _ kitten _ .”

 

Soonyoung’s jaw dropped and Wonwoo just froze in mildly disgusted confusion as if someone had paused him while Chan continued, “The walls in the hotel are  _ paper thin _ , you know.”

 

With that he too took off in calm laps around the rink to cool down before resuming practice, leaving Soonyoung to give a half-assed explanation to Wonwoo and for the latter to gasp when he realised why Soonyoung was panting down the line last night. 

 

The skater wanted nothing more for the ground to swallow him whole.

 

━ᕕ━

 

Their slot ended at one and both coaches left to inform the officials of any changes they had made to their program throughout practice. Soonyoung stayed despite the despair of knowing that Chan heard everything last night, “You could’ve banged on the wall or something.”

 

“You were doing plenty of that yourself,” Chan commented with a smug eyebrow raise.

 

“Oh my God,” Soonyoung groaned, currently sat on a bench next to the rink with his head in his hands while Chan sat next to him and set about taking his skates off.

 

“I never knew Seokmin had such a dirty mouth,” the younger skater continued to tease, “Or that you were so compliant, you’re always so stubborn with me.”

 

“Please just stop talking.”

 

“Make me,” Chan demanded, lips desperately drawn into a line as he tried not to smile at Soonyoung’s suffering.

 

“I actually hate you.”

 

“Hey, I could’ve told  _ everyone _ the freaky shit you like in bed but I  _ didn’t _ so you should be thankful,” Chan nodded as if he had done some noble act of great benevolence.

 

“You could still tell them,” Soonyoung pointed out, hands falling from his face.

 

Chan smiled devilishly, “Exactly.”

 

Soonyoung sighed, mind working to find something to blackmail the other with but his thought process was interrupted at the doting sound of someone calling his name. He turned his head to see Seokmin, Jeonghan and Seungcheol entering the edge of the rink, the former of whom was waving at him with a dazzling smile.

 

“Speak of the devil,” Chan quipped, clearly enjoying teasing his elder training partner far too much, “It’s  _ Sir _ Seokmin.”

 

Soonyoung waved back with a small smile that might’ve looked like more of a grimace when he responded to Chan through clenched teeth, “Shut the fuck up.”

 

“Still waiting for you to make me, kitten,” Chan mumbled into Soonyoung’s ear, making the latter flush with embarrassment and mild disgust while Seokmin and co. walked over to them.

 

“How’d it go?” Seokmin asked, the question clearly directed at Chan in reference to his practice slot, yet it was Soonyoung who shot to his feet to answer before the youngest could open his mischievous mouth.

 

“Perfectly fine! They both did great and Chan was just on his way to shower, right?”

 

“N—“

 

“Yes you were!” Soonyoung insisted, pulling the other up and ushering him away from his boyfriend, “Get a move on!”

 

Chan stumbled away with a smug smile that promised further teasing later, skates hanging loosely from his fingers as he looked around for Wonwoo. Seokmin raised an eyebrow at Soonyoung’s frenzied attitude but didn’t say anything, putting the query to the back of his mind for now.

 

“Wonwoo needs him to hurry up,” Soonyoung smiled in a nervous manner,  easily telling the white lie to save himself an awkward experience, “Your slot is now?”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin confirmed, looking over to where Jeonghan was stretching while Seungcheol stared at him for far too long to be considered professional supervision, “Well, we went for two shorter slots so we have another one later too. When’s yours?”

 

“Later, a long one.”

 

“Oh yeah, I saw your name where I was signing up for Jeonghan’s,” the coach remembered, “You’re after us.”

 

“Nice,” Soonyoung smiled and saw Jeonghan go past in a blur across the ice, clearly warming up fast to make the most of a shorter session, “I’ll get going so you can do your job.”

 

“You can stay, if you want?”

 

“Nah it’s fine,” Soonyoung assured with a nod, cocking his head in Jeonghan’s direction, “I don’t think he’d want me to watch anyway.”

 

“Good point,” Seokmin raised his arm for a hug, appeared momentarily perplexed, and then switched his action to a handshake.

 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes and wrapped the other in a quick hug, “If people think we’re fucking just because we hugged then that’s clearly what they  _ want _ to see, so don’t worry so much.”

 

Seokmin chuckled into the hair tickling his chin, “A very valid point.”

 

“I’m full of those,” Soonyoung stepped back with a proud grin, “I’ll see you for lunch?”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin nodded quickly like he’d been dying to confirm the arrangement since the start of their conversation, “We’ll be done in just over half an hour so I’ll come to your room, or text me where you are.”

 

“Will do.”

 

Jeonghan’s impatient tone cut through their longing stares, “You gonna coach me or what?” 

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Seokmin rolled his eyes as if his job was such a chore before beaming brightly at his boyfriend, “See you soon.”

 

Soonyoung nodded, uttering a doting goodbye with an equally bright smile before traipsing back into the wintry weather of November; hood up with strings pulled tight. He soon dawdled into the hotel and leaned against the elevator wall with a long yawn, stepping out and plodding along to his room. Once inside, he flopped onto his bed and decided to have a nap while waiting for Jeonghan’s session to end, yet he found it to be delayed slightly when a familiar melodic knock sounded against his door.

 

━ᕕ━

 

“Practicing off the ice?”

 

Soonyoung jumped one last time before stopping, landing on the carpet after two rotations and a slight hop, coming face to face with Seokmin, “Might as well while I’m waiting for you.”

 

“I thought you were gonna text me?” Seokmin raised a brow, giving a parting nod to Jeonghan and Seungcheol as they walked past.

 

“I was going to but then Minghao and Junhui came to my room and asked if I wanted to go out for lunch with them to catch up,” Soonyoung explained, eyes glancing around as if he was trying to look into his brain to recall the information, “I said no because I already planned to go to lunch with you and I asked if they could wait till you were done but they’d already booked some restaurant that they both like, so I just told them to go without me.”

 

“Alright, but that still doesn’t explain why you didn’t text me,” Seokmin smiled fondly at the awed realisation in Soonyoung’s features.

 

“Oh yeah,” the skater smiled, face scrunching up cutely as he admitted, “I just wanted to see you sooner, I guess.”

 

“You  _ guess _ ?” Seokmin teased, setting the two off in a gentle walk back across to the hotel.

 

“I wanted to see you sooner,” Soonyoung declared, resolute tone accompanied by an exasperatedly fond eye roll, “Happy?”

 

“Very,” Seokmin smiled, the action making small wrinkles accentuate his eyes, “I wish I could hold your hand now.”

 

“You can hold  _ me _ back at the hotel,” Soonyoung reminded in a soothing manner, “So let’s walk faster.”

 

“Keep up then, shorty,” Seokmin teased, taking longer, faster strides.

 

“Hey,” Soonyoung called out with a pout, following Seokmin along the pavement closely, “You’re  _ barely _ taller than me.”

 

“What’s that? Can’t hear you down there, sorry.”

 

“You ass,” Soonyoung grumbled and was way too easily appeased when Seokmin slowed them to a socially accepted pace and wrapped a ‘friendly’ arm around his shoulders.

 

“You know I love you really,” Seokmin mumbled close to the other’s hair and above his ear.

 

“Hm, I’m starting to doubt it,” Soonyoung joked, refusing to look in Seokmin’s direction despite being pressed against him from hip to shoulder.

 

The coach gasped in mock horror, placing a hand over his heart dramatically but speaking seriously, “Then I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you, again.”

 

<

━ᕕ━

 

Straight after closing the door to Seokmin’s hotel room, Soonyoung found himself expelling a bout of giggles when he was swept into the other’s arms before the pair of them fell onto the still dishevelled double bed with soft grunts.

 

“I love you,” Seokmin declared with doting eyes, hovering over Soonyoung who was lying on his back; two sets of feet sticking off the side of the bed, clad in well-worn shoes that would dirty the sheets otherwise.

 

“I already told you I believe you,” Soonyoung complained halfheartedly in a laugh, having been assaulted by Seokmin’s never ending love from the moment they stepped into the privacy of the empty elevator, “And I love you too.”

 

“Well,” Seokmin began after a lengthy inhale, moving to lie next to the other and prop himself up on one elbow, “Wanna play a game?”

 

“Depends what game,” Soonyoung rolled onto his side but remained snuggled into the pillow, looking up slightly at Seokmin.

 

“I’ll say one thing I love about you, then you say one thing you love about me,  _ but _ we can’t repeat things and the first person who can’t think of anything to say loses.”

 

“I don’t think I’ll be losing,” Soonyoung smiled, the already squishy expression amplified further by his cheek being nestled into the plump pillow.

 

“I love your smile,” Seokmin began, adoring eyes trained on the placid skater while the latter wriggled around a bit to kick his shoes off, “I could be having the worst day ever and all you have to do is smile to make it better.”

 

“I love your eyes,” Soonyoung countered, a small smile still gracing his lips, “They’re so warm and comforting.”

 

“I love your nose,” Seokmin reached up to give it a boop, “No explanation needed.”

 

Soonyoung’s lips stretched wider at the simple action and he reached up to lazily tangle his fingers with Seokmin’s, “I love your hands. You have such nice fingers and mine are like baby sausages.”

 

“Your fingers are adorable,” Seokmin assured, subconsciously mimicking the pout that replaced Soonyoung’s smile while he gave the skater’s hand a comforting squeeze, “I love your laugh, it’s contagious and I just like it when you’re laughing.”

 

“I love your voice,” Soonyoung mumbled in an almost moan as if he’d just realised how much he loved the attribute, “It’s so gentle and I just remembered I’m  _ still _ waiting for you to sing to me.”

 

“And I told you I’m shy,” Seokmin defended himself yet appeased the other, “Before the year ends, I promise I’ll sing for you.”

 

“Will you sing for me if I win gold?”

 

Soonyoung watched a plethora of emotions flicker across Seokmin’s face in only a few seconds at his innocent question and it left him mildly confused but mostly intrigued. The coach exhaled in a somewhat shaky manner with a single, resolute nod giving Soonyoung his answer before he could utter it, “Yeah, sure.”

 

“Gold or nothing,” Seokmin continued sternly after the excited smile that spread across Soonyoung’s face, the latter nodding in response.

 

“I didn’t come here with the plan to get anything less than gold anyway.”

 

“Very sure of yourself,” Seokmin observed with a bemused eyebrow raise, “What happens if you  _ don’t _ get gold?”

 

Soonyoung shook his head with firm determination, hair ruffling against the pillow, “Not an option, then I wouldn’t get to hear you sing.”

 

“You want to hear me sing that badly?”

 

“Yeah?” Soonyoung exhaled in offense as if his desire was obvious, “Your voice is so smooth and kinda deep but I’ve heard you shriek before, like at the airport when I took a can out of the fridge and shoved it under your shirt, you have  _ quite _ the range.”

 

“You’re an actual sadist, that can was freezing and any sane person would’ve screamed.”

 

“Not every person’s scream sounds harmonious,” Soonyoung pointed out, fascinated gaze making the other mildly nervous.

 

“Well, then I guess you better win gold and find out,” Seokmin stated briskly, moving back to their game of love before Soonyoung could pry too far, “I love how energetic you are and—”

 

“You’re one to talk.”

 

Seokmin laughed despite being interrupted, “ _ And _ I was going to say that I love how we’re equally as energetic as each other.”

 

“Hey, that was  _ two _ things.”

 

“Then you best one-up me,” Seokmin challenged and soon found himself lying flat on his back with his boyfriend straddling his hips and taking hold of one of his hands.

 

“I love your arms,” Soonyoung declared, pushing the material of Seokmin’s thick hoodie up to his elbow in a smooth motion, “Just look at that forearm.”

 

Seokmin chuckled in amusement, clenching and unclenching his fist much to Soonyoung’s delight, the tendons in his arm seeming to roll over each other as they vied for the skater’s attention, “You’re attracted to some strange things.”

 

“Sue me,” Soonyoung shrugged, letting go of the arm to lean over Seokmin’s torso and peer down into his eyes before trailing his gaze down slightly, “I love your little mole  _ so much _ . It’s just so cute and if you ever _ dare _ to cover it with makeup I will break up with you.”

 

Smiling at the exaggerated threat, Seokmin was more than happy to assure the other that he had no plans to hide his mole from the world before he continued to profess his love. Soonyoung gasped softly and arched down into Seokmin when the latter’s cool hands roamed up his heated skin from his lower back to his shoulder blades, “I love the curve of your back, and how sensitive you are to light touches.”

 

“I love how light your touches are,” Soonyoung countered, treading on thin ice when considering the rules of their little game, “And how rough they can be.”

 

“I love your lips,” Seokmin proclaimed, bringing one of his hands out from where it had come to a rest on Soonyoung’s lower back to instead cradle the skater’s cheek and run a thumb across faintly chapped lips, “I love when they’re against mine and when they wander elsewhere.”

 

Soonyoung grinned at Seokmin’s playful tone and was reminded of last night, giving a sudden heartfelt confession in response to the harmless cheek, “I love how understanding you are, of everything.”

 

Seokmin didn’t need the other to specify what he meant by ‘everything’ and so he gave a wry smile before shuffling onto his elbows and up to be seated against the headboard, pulling Soonyoung up with him so he was still straddling his lap, “I love how strong you are, to go through something like that and to allow me the chance to teach you what love really is.”

 

Tears welled up gradually in Soonyoung’s eyes at the simple praise and Seokmin wrapped him in a warm hug, the skater’s face nestled into the crook of the other’s neck, “I love you for showing me what love is.”

 

“I love you,” Seokmin declared lowly into the strands of hair tickling the side of his face.

 

“I love you too,” Soonyoung responded naturally, slightly confused by the calmly proud expression that blossomed on the coaches face when he pulled back to look at him, “What?”

 

“You lost,” Seokmin smiled, bringing up a hand to gently cradle Soonyoung’s cheek and wipe at the underside of his eye with a careful thumb, removing the slight dampness that had escaped and was glistening in the low-light of a winter afternoon.

 

Soonyoung leaned his head into the affection, lazily recalling the earlier established rules of their game, “I guess I did. So, what’s the punishment?”

 

“There isn’t one,” Seokmin revealed happily, “I just wanted to play this game so you know how much I love you.”

 

Soonyoung’s smile stretched slowly, as if he was shy of showing how happy the simple words made him, before inhaling and exhaling deeply, overcome with positive emotions, “I really do love you.”

 

Seokmin hummed in response to the sweet statement, leaning forward to guide Soonyoung into a gentle kiss while he still held the side of his face, other hand resting on the skater’s hip. Their eyes slipped shut for a few serene seconds, after which they leant their foreheads together and Seokmin mumbled quietly to not startle the other, “Do you want to go get something to eat?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Yeah? Just us or…?”

 

“Just us,” Soonyoung decided easily, leaning back into the crook of Seokmin’s neck in a comfortable forward slouch, “Can we order room service so that we can actually be a couple and not have to worry about rumours? About dating and about cheating.”

 

“Sure,” Seokmin exhaled after stretching his legs, sagging against the pillows he’d propped against the headboard comfortably. He thanked the high heavens that the phone was close enough when he reached a long arm out for it, “Do you know what you want?”

 

“Meat,” Soonyoung responded vaguely, “Other than that, surprise me.”

 

“Alright,” Seokmin affirmed, leaning over to press the right button to call and then kissing Soonyoung’s head while he waited for it to dial, feeling the skater’s small smile against his neck. Small puffs of air came next when Soonyoung began to laugh at Seokmin’s poor attempt to communicate in broken English to the Chinese receiver, lacking the correct syntax but possessing an extensive vocabulary.

 

Soonyoung suddenly couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else.

 

━ᕕ━

 

After eating a modest lunch at the quaint table in their hotel room, Soonyoung and Seokmin ended up cuddled back in bed where the former had another power nap. When he woke up snuggled into Seokmin’s chest he was met with the quiet sound of the coach humming and the feeling of the low vibrations travelling through his own body.

 

Despite being half asleep, Soonyoung recognised the song after hearing only a few seconds of it, “I didn’t know you liked Dokyeom.”

 

“I didn’t know you were awake,” Seokmin replied, promptly cutting himself off and shuffling to sit against the headboard when Soonyong sat up to rub at his eyes.

 

“I just woke up,” he yawned, turning to sit facing Seokmin, “You like Dokyeom?”

 

The coach shrugged, entirely too indifferent, “His songs get stuck in my head because you play them all the time.”

 

“That song only came out a few days ago,” Soonyoung scrutinised, suddenly very alert and playfully suspicious, “I haven’t played it around you yet.”

 

Seokmin’s eyes widened like a deer in headlights and he couldn’t get a response out due to the skater voicing after a breathy laugh, “It’s fine if you like him, y’know. It’s not like I own him.”

 

“He’s  _ alright _ ,” Seokmin shrugged, slightly sheepish. 

 

“ _ Alright?” _ Soonyoung repeated in shock, “If he’s  _ alright _ then when I hear you sing you better make my soul ascend.”

 

“ _ If _ you hear me sing,” Seokmin corrected, succeeding in diverting the skater’s attention.

 

“ _ When _ ,” Soonyoung stressed, “I won’t settle for anything less than gold.”

 

“Good luck,” Seokmin smiled, unable to pit Soonyoung and Jeonghan against each other.

 

“Thank you,” Soonyoung smiled and leaned over to give the other a quick kiss, “What time is it?”

 

“Almost six.”

 

“ _ What _ ? I’ve been asleep for  _ hours _ ,” Sonyoung pawed at the bed to find his phone and confirm that it indeed was almost six, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

 

“You got somewhere to be?”

 

“...No?”

 

“Exactly,” Seokmin shrugged, “You clearly needed the sleep.”

 

“I hate that you’re right,” Soonyoung complained with no real conviction while sliding off of the bed to stretch the cracks out of his limbs, “What’s everyone else up to?”

 

Seokmin shrugged once again and joined Soonyoung on his feet, “Some are at their training slots but I don’t know about the rest.”

 

Fingers were pointed at Seokmin while Soonyoung racked his brain to regurgitate suddenly remembered information, “Minghao invited us to dinner.”

 

Seokmin raised a brow, “You said he invited us to lunch?” 

 

“And dinner,” Soonyoung nodded as though trying to convince himself, “I forgot. Shit. I better message him.”

 

“They always eat late so I wouldn’t worry that we’ve missed them.”

 

Soonyoung nodded wordlessly and typed a quick question to Minghao, almost instantly receiving a time and location, “Eight at the lobby.”

 

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Seokmin walked around the bed to envelop the skater in a loving back hug around the waist before drawling with a loving mirth, “And now we’ve got two more hours to fill.”

 

Soonyoung tossed his phone back onto the bed after replying to Minghao in brief, turning around in Seokmin’s hold to loop his arms around the coach’s neck, “And how do you suppose we do that?”

 

“I can think of a few ways,” Seokmin smiled around his words, head naturally tilting closer to Soonyoung’s.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Seokmin hummed an affirmation low in his throat, fingers creeping under the hem of the other’s shirt and skating along smooth skin, “Should I show you?”

 

Soonyoung smiled knowingly, the otherwise innocent expression tainted by the cheeky twinkle in his eyes, “I’d like that.”

 

━ᕕ━

 

“So, what does your outfit look like Soonyoung?” Junhui asked while scooping a seemingly random assortment of vegetables into the hot pot at the centre of the table, yet to him it was a very meticulous job.

 

“He won’t even tell me that,” Seokmin interjected, watching the hot pot master at work, “So good luck getting him to tell you.”

 

“I’m not telling either of you,” Soonyoung declared with a proud smile before gesturing in Minghao’s direction, the Chinese couple sat opposite him and Seokmin, “He knows though.”

 

Seokmin looked utterly betrayed while Minghao accorded, “It’s true, I do.”

 

“Why does he know?” Seokmin pouted, dejectedly stirring the hot pot as instructed by Junhui.

 

“We’ve been friends for years and I trust his fashion opinion,” Soonyoung nodded, pleased with himself before quickly adding to his statement in Seokmin’s defence, “Not that I  _ don’t _ trust your fashion opinion, but I just want it to be a surprise for you.”

 

“Alright,” Seokmin caved in, unable to refuse the apologetic puppy eyes directed at him, “I’ve only got to wait a few more days anyway.”

 

“Two more days,” Junhui specified in a sing song manner while passing his bowl to Minghao for the latter to fill it, “You nervous?”

 

“I’m not now that my number one fanboy is by my side,” Soonyoung joked, enjoying the slight embarrassment that flickered across Seokmin’s features before leaning in more as if sharing a delicate secret with the Chinese duo, “Did you know, that he likes my skating that much that it makes Jeonghan jealous?”

 

“Shut up,” Seokmin gave him a playful shove, gratefully accepting his bowl from Minghao, “He’s just jokingly jealous sometimes.”

 

“Gotta say,” Minghao began before pushing the food in his mouth to one cheek to continue his sentence, “I’d be pretty pissed if Junhui spent a lot of time watching one particular skater while I was there.”

 

“I guess it would be weird for me if you had a different coach, too,” Junhui added.

 

Minghao gestured between the other couple, “You’re an odd pairing no matter how you look at it.”

 

Soonyoung shrugged, “My coach has a boyfriend and his skater has a boyfriend  _ and _ even if they didn’t it wouldn’t matter.”

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin concurred, “But it’s not like we can be public about our relationship anyway, any of us.”

 

“Well we  _ could _ be,” Minghao argued, just to be pedantic.

 

“One day,” Junhui nodded before dipping a thin strip of meat into the boiling broth and then practically inhaling the protein.

 

“So,” Soonyoung punctuated the sentence starter in such a way that it had Seokmin on edge, “Junhui, what was Seokmin like as a rival skater?”

 

“Absolutely infuriating,” Junhui answered without hesitation, ignoring the betrayal plastered on Seokmin’s features, “He almost always beat me but I couldn’t even hate him because he was too damn nice all the time, giving all the skaters and coaches random stuff like oranges or cookies or just sincere encouragement.”

Seokmin’s expression moulded into pleasant surprise, “Thank you?”

 

“Come on,” Soonyoung drawled, in dire need of something to tease the other about, “He must’ve gotten up to  _ some _ mischief.”

 

“Always the nicest ones that have the darkest secrets,” Minghao stated in a monotone voice, prompting three gazes to linger on him in silence for a few seconds, “What? It’s true.”

 

Junhui shrugged, “I guess so. The darkest thing I can remember Seokmin doing though is giving me sparkling water once instead of still.”

 

“I  _ apologised _ !”

 

“It still hurts to think about,” Junhui sighed dramatically, wiping a nonexistent tear out of his eye.

 

“You just don’t have a single bad bone in you, do you?” Soonyoung cooed at his boyfriend, somehow both proud and disappointed at the same time.

 

“Only the devil incarnate would give someone sparkling water instead of still,” Junhui continued his facade, happy with the dirty look Seokmin sent him, “Seriously though Seokmin, will you ever skate again?”

 

Despite the pair not currently touching in any way, Soonyoung could tell that Seokmin went rigid with the question and decided to intervene, “I thought we talked about this at the hotel yesterday?”

 

Junhui scrunched his face in mild agreement, “Sorta. It’s been so long since your accident, Seokmin, and I know how much you love skating.”

 

“Loved,” Seokmin gave a wry smile at his ex-rival, “I don’t have the intention to skate again.”

 

Junhui chewed on the inside of his cheek as if debating whether to let his next words get passed his lips or not, “Why not? Minghao sprained his ankle and after some rehabilitation he was fine.”

 

“I didn’t  _ sprain _ my ankle, Junhui, I  _ broke  _ my ankle  _ and  _ the bones surrounding it, basically my whole foot,” Seokmin retorted defensively, the two current skaters ready to interrupt if need be.

 

“And? You learned to walk again, why not learn to skate again?”

 

“My foot turns in when I walk, do you know how long it would take to correct that?”

 

“Get an ankle guard that’ll do it for you.”

 

“It’s not that simple, it  _ hurts _ .”

 

“You haven’t even  _ tried _ to skate since then, how do you know whether it hurts or not?”

 

“Junhui,” Seokmin snapped with a stern expression bordering on sadness, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

Junhui’s eyes widened at the raised tone coming from the otherwise gentle coach and he realised how insensitive he was being, sighing in apology, “I’m sorry, really. I just think it’s not fair that one injury has changed your whole career when you’re such a good skater.”

 

Seokmin gave an abrasive scoff, “That makes two of us.”

 

“I’m really sorry, Seokmin, I know it’s touchy and I shouldn’t’ve pushed you to talk about it,” Junhui declared sincerely, physically expressing his desire to make up by holding a slice of meat out to the other with his chopsticks.

 

Seokmin rolled his eyes and easily accepted the peace offering, not wanting to dwell on the topic for much longer, “Apology accepted, but please don’t bring it up again.”

 

“I won’t,” Junhui instantly promised, giving a small smile of assurance.

 

Minghao conveyed his intentions to Soonyoung through his eyes before speaking up now that tensions had somewhat dissolved, “We need some more dipping sauces. Come with me would you, Junhui?”

 

“Of course?” Junhui got up in mild confusion, used to Minghao just telling him what to do rather than asking, but was soon content to be led towards the dip making station like a child to the pick-n-mix in a supermarket.

 

Soonyoung mouthed a discreet ‘thank you’ to Minghao before leaning an elbow on the table to turn all his attention to the man sat next to him, “Seokmin—”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Seokmin pleaded, staring into Soonyoung’s attentive gaze.

 

“I know,” Soonyoung established, “And I’m not going to force you to, but believe me when I say that talking about it helps you heal. I’d know.”

 

The coach took a long look at the other before responding softly, “Thank you.”

 

Soonyoung smiled, “Whenever you’re ready.”

 

“What did I do to deserve you,” Seokmin mused whimsically.

 

“I could say the same,” Soonyoung concurred, “Maybe we saved a kingdom in a past life.”

 

“Or brought it down,” Seokmin countered before taking a swig of his drink.

 

Soonyoung shrugged before leaning back in his seat to stretch his torso, “Whatever floats your historical boat.”

 

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Minghao announced aloud while setting a few little bowls down on the table, having heard only the tale end of the conversation, “We’ve got to go, my slot is at half nine.”

 

“But it’s only nine,” Soonyoung pouted after checking his phone.

 

“Yeah but you know how long it takes to lace skates up,” Minghao ruffled the other’s hair affectionately, “And we’ve still got to walk back over to the rink.”

 

“It’s like two minutes away,” Soonyoung whined while swatting Minghao’s hand away to fix his hair.

 

Minghao hummed and spoke in a low tone like he was at least trying to be discreet, but he was most definitely loud enough for all four of them to hear, “Junhui’s getting handsy so I think we might be delayed in the locker room.”

 

“Here’s some money for the bill,” Junhui announced like he hadn’t just been exposed to the whole group, setting the cash down in front of Seokmin, “I don’t expect you to pay for us, especially since we invited you out.”

 

“Thank you,” Seokmin accepted the cash, knowing Junhui wouldn’t let him argue against it.

 

“See you around,” Minghao waved as the pair began to walk away from their quaint table.

 

“Be gentle!” Soonyoung yelled to Junhui, only to receive a scathing look in response as they rounded a corner and disappeared out of sight. The skater looked back at their bubbling hot pot and noticed that they were running out of ingredients, “Should we order more?”

 

“Nah,” Seokmin waved the idea away, “We’ll just go slow until we have to leave. You said your slot’s at half ten, right?”

 

Soonyoung nodded, swirling a piece of meat around in the broth, “I did and it’s right after Jeonghan’s, so sadly we won’t have time to get handsy in the locker room too.”

 

“As tragic as that is,” Seokmin spoke through a playful smile, “I’d rather stay in Wonwoo’s good books anyway.”

 

“Good point.”

 

Only the bubbling of the hot pot and a bustling restaurant surrounded them for a few moments while they were content to eat and contemplate on whatever their thoughts lingered on. For Seokmin, it seemed the earlier spat with Junhui wouldn’t leave his mind, “Do you think I’d be able to skate again?”

 

Soonyoung was surprised by the question, but not in a bad way, “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it now?”

 

“I guess I changed my mind?”

 

Soonyoung gnawed on his lip and slid around to the other side of the table to sit opposite the coach, “Personally, I think you could learn again if you wanted to. Do you want to?”

 

“I miss it,” Seokmin admitted and then raised an eyebrow in questioning, “I mean, could you imagine just never skating again?”

 

“Nope. I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Soonyoung regarded Seokmin’s sagging shoulders with pity and empathy, “If you do learn to skate again it will be a matter of actually relearning everything from the start because of the way your foot turns in. I imagine you could only use an ankle guard for so long before it would frustrate you.”

 

“It would just feel like cheating to me, if I had it on all the time.”

 

“It’s not and you know that,” Soonyoung stressed, “I can name at least five skaters I know who wear special insoles or wrap tape around their ankles.”

 

“I know,” Seokmin sighed, “I just wouldn’t even know where to start.”

 

“Do you still have your skates?”

 

“I do,” Seokmin nodded solemnly, “At my place. The right one is, uh, bloody though. It never washed out.”

 

Soonyoung’s lips drew into a sad smile, “Then that’s where we could start, getting you some new skates.”

 

“I’ll think about it,” Seokmin uttered, already lost in thought.

 

“How about I give you some hints for what my outfit looks like?” Soonyoung suggested in the hope that he would lift Seokmin’s spirits, even if only by a little.

 

“Please do,” the coach leaned forward in intrigue, “I’m still offended that Minghao has seen it and I haven’t.”

 

“Bros before hoes,” Soonyoung shrugged an Seokmin scoffed.

 

“Please, if anyone’s the hoe here, it’s you.”

 

Soonyoung raised his eyebrows in mock offense, “Do you want details of my outfit or not?”

 

“Yes, okay, I apologise for my wrongdoings,” he raised his hands in mock surrender, “Now please enlighten me.”

 

“Well, for my short program the main colour is blue, and for my free skate it’s red.”

 

“One at a time,” Seokmin instructed, “Tell me more about the blue one.”

 

“It’s not a one-piece. The top half is loose and the bottom is tight.”

 

“Is it sparkly?”

 

“Of course,” Soonyoung confirmed quickly, “Who do you think I am?”

 

They shared in a laugh before Seokmin summarised, “So, you’re wearing a sparkly blue top and presumably black pants.”

 

“How do you know I’m not wearing sparkly blue pants and a black top?”

 

“I  _ didn’t _ ,” Seokmin punctuated smugly, “But I know now, otherwise you wouldn’t be defensive about it.”

 

“Point taken, but how can you be so sure I’ve not been lying to you this whole time?”

 

“You’d never lie to me,” Seokmin declared with resolve, pushing the last strip of thin meat closer to Soonyoung on the plate.

 

Soonyoung picked the meat up with his chopsticks and swirled it about in the broth, “Of course. And you’d never lie to me either, I hope?

 

“Never in a million years,” Seokmin smiled, massively resisting the urge to add a sing-song lilt to his words.

｡ﾟ･.*☆ﾟ━

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked this update!! i feel like it was a bit choppy but anyway :( at least there was some soft seoksoon in the middle :) pleaseeee leave a comment/kudos, now more than ever i really need motivation to actually get things done so if you liked something in this chapter then please tell me!! it makes me so happy :D
> 
> next chapter is the actual start of the cup of china!! kicking off with chan's ice dance, but will everything be okay with jisoo? who knows ;))))
> 
> ☆ [hmu on twitter! @xiiaeo](https://twitter.com/xiiaeo) ☆


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